For the Love of Him or The Betrothal
by RaidenYoukai
Summary: Prince Zuko has been having nightmares! Every time they remind him of how alone he is. Having accepted this, he tries to move on...so how will he react when he finds that there is someone out there who cares for him, one Miss Ajuna?
1. No Love Dreams

**For the Love of Him -or- The Betrothal**   
by RaidenYoukai   
Genre: Romance/ Drama/ Slight Occasional Humor   
Origins: Avatar: The Last Airbender   
Main Character(s): Prince Zuko, OC 

Disclaimer: Of course, I do not own Avatar: TLAB. Nickelodion does. Sadly. I wish I did, because then I could make the plot do what I wanted it to, but I don't so I can't. Anyways...I do own the OC, one 'Miss Ajuna', the first daughter of a noble family. This is my first romance, ever, of any series, so I have no idea how it will go. It probably doesn't help that the series hasn't been fully shown yet, so I have no idea if this completely destroys or deviates from the actual course of events. Also, the first bit may seem a bit angsty, but it gets better later, I promise. Constructive comments will be enjoyed, however flames will not be tolerated. Thank you for your time, and I wish you happy banana hunting. 

**Chapter 1- No-Love Dreams**

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Fire had singed the hanging tapestries that would usually have hung gracefully in the room, one on each side, and would sway gently with the boat's movement. Some were worse than others, crisped past recognition, what was left hanging stiffly like dried pieces of meat. Others, less touched by the flames' burning embrace, still showed their patterns, the crest of the fire nation woven across their middle in stunning black weave. His highness, the Exiled Prince Zuko, leaned back on his bed, wiping the cold sweat from his brow, trying to calm his unsteady breathing. Eyes wide with the look of someone still lingering in a nightmare, he looked about the room, surveying the damage he had done in his sleep. 

Aside from the tapestries, it looked like he'd lost several books, which upon later investigation would prove to have been very useful, full of lore on the Avatar and other elemental facts; some small trinkets from his travels; a few papers with random notes he'd jotted down and...no...He sighed sadly, sinking back down to the mat, closing his eyes as if in pain. He'd seen in the corner a small staff, one used for training small children that he'd used at one time to train with his father. It had been burned to almost half of it's original size and was lying charred and blackened on the floor. 

"That damned dream again..." He muttered angrily to himself. It wasn't the first time he'd woken up in an icy sweat in a room full of destruction. It was the same dream every time that portended it. The dream of the day of his banishment. The dream of his 14th birthday. The dream he'd had every night without fail since then. Zuko frowned, pressing his face into his hands as he recalled the dream. 

_14-year-old Zuko leapt up out of bed, smiling happily to himself. Today was his 14th birthday, the day he finally became a man. The day his father would recognize him for the warrior he was. He dressed quickly in all black and then threw his finest cape over his shoulders as he strode purposefully out the door. He headed for the throne room, pushed the ancient solid oak doors open, sank to his knee before the throne, bowed in respect, looked up with a smile and a happy cry of "Father!"...only to be overwhelmed with disappointment. _

Before him sat his father, resplendent in his royal robes, sword glinting regally at his side as he looked up, cast a passing glance over his forlorn son, and turned back to the maps and charts lain out before him by yet another Admiral or General or whatever ranked soldier it might be this time. He would reach out and point to something, or scribble down some plan of attack as he asked about the results of some fight or why they didn't gain as much ground as he'd wanted...yet not a word did he say to his only son, not even on his birthday. 

Zuko sighed dejectedly, rising slowly to his feet before making a hasty retreat from the throne room. He should have known that his father would never see him, never acknowledge him, not today, nor ever. He'd never be good enough, never important enough for his father. All he cared about was winning the war and fighting...That was it! The Prince's steps quickened and his walk became more focused. He was a teen who knew just where he was going and what he planned to do when he got there. If his father only cared about fighting and winning, then he'd just have to prove that he could fight and win, right? Right! And if he could defeat a **master**...then surely Lord Ozai would see him for the son he'd always wanted! 

The 14-year-old smiled slyly to himself as he neared the castle's dojo and arena. He'd finally found a way to prove himself to his father and nothing was going to stop him now! He stopped just inside the sliding doors, looking around at the various pairs and threesomes of people training or sparing with each other, his grin widening as he found the one he was looking for. His Uncle was doing what he did best, sipping tea in the corner as Zuko approached him and the old general carefully sat his cup down as the Prince sat down across the table. "What do you want nephew?" He asked, his gruff old voice rumbling softly but with authority. 

"I want to do battle." His Uncle Iroh nodded. Zuko often fought with other benders to improve his techniques. It was not so unusual a request. "With a master. An Agni Kai." Iroh choked on his tea, spraying it out his nose, covering the Prince in hot Jingsang**1**. Zuko twitched a bit, reaching up to wipe the tea from his face as his uncle continued to gape at him. "Prince Zuko, you may be an expert at fighting, but that's only for your level! You can't duel a master yet! You need more training. I cannot allow you to..." 

"I **will** battle a master. High noon today. Set it up." Zuko stated firmly, cutting Iroh's remarks off with a finality that boded no argument. He rose quickly to his feet, bowing swiftly to the retired general before darting back the way he'd come, giving him no more time to argue. As much as Iroh wanted to stop this whole thing right in it's tracks, perhaps it would be better for Prince Zuko to go through with it. "It might teach him some humility..." he sighed to himself as he watched the prince's retreating form slip back through the doors to the castle. "Maybe it'll be good for him." The Great General Iroh took another sip of tea. 

Hours passed in the blink of an eye, and suddenly a hot, high noon sun shone down upon the battlefield, and the confident Prince Zuko. A light warm breeze rippled across the arena, sweeping up small clouds of dust and swirling them around into mini-tornadoes. The wind grabbed at Zuko's thin ceremonial jacket, threatening to lift it from his shoulders, causing him to reach up and pin it down firmly. A frown floated briefly across his face as he wondered if he was wafting for naught and his uncle hadn't gotten anyone to come. "If he's forgotten, I swear I'll..." 

"You'll what?" Zuko jumped a bit when he heard Iroh's voice at his elbow. The General was smiling benevolently, sure of what his nephew had been about to say, and finding amusement in it. "Nothing Uncle...I am just...excited about the fight." The prince stammered out, still a little unnerved that he had been snuck up upon without his noticing. "So, did you find me an opponent? And is...my father coming?" He asked, and Iroh caught a flash of frantic hope in his nephew's eyes. "Now Zuko, are you sure you want to do this? You really aren't ready-" 

"Did you find me an opponent or not?" The prince demanded. Fire flared at his wrists, an outward expression of the building anxiety within him. His uncle sighed. "Yes. Captain Zhao from the 3rd front platoon will face you." Iroh's face fell. It was obvious the prince was set on doing this and nothing could change his mind now. If only he wasn't so bullheaded! Or if only his brother had paid the boy a little more attention, Iroh mused to himself as he took his place as the officiator of the fight. Zuko stiffly took his place at one end of the field, glancing back and forth from the stands, where his father would hopefully be, and the door Zhao was entering from. With a sigh of relief, he hadn't even noticed he'd been holding his breath, Zuko spotted his father taking his seat. He'd show him now, show him how worthy he was of attention. 

He turned back to grin excitedly at his uncle, then took a quick step back when the far doors creaked open, revealing the massive form of Captain Zhao. The man was a giant! Huge and hulking, one would think he'd move slowly, but no! He walked as lightly as a feather on the breeze! A bead of cold sweat trickled down the side of Zuko's head. This was going to be tough. Still, he was determined to win. The strength of his opponent would only add to his winning glory. 

He quickly struck a basic stance as his uncle raised his arm, in preparation for the commencing of the fight. With a rushing swoosh of air and a brilliant burst of flame, Iroh's arm arced downwards, signaling the start of the battle. Zuko sprang foreword, sucking in a great gulp of air and landed strongly on his feet, creating a strong root for power, swung his leg upwards, connected a solid flaming blow to Zhao's chest...and blanched from the spider webs of pain that lanced up his leg. It was like kicking a stone wall! What was this man made of? 

Startled, he leapt back, staggering when his weight shifted onto his injured foot, gasping as it almost went out from under him. If his foot was broken then he'd already lost. Without a strong base he couldn't gather enough energy for his fire attacks. And judging by the Captain 's reaction to his kick, Zuko couldn't do a thing with just brute force. Maybe he could dodge long enough to wear the heavier man down, he thought as he ducked, just dodging a sudden burst of flame from Zhao, who was now swiftly approaching. 

Settling on this plan of action, Zuko leapt away, wincing with every other step but forcing himself to keep going. Flames from Zhao's attacks licked at his heels on every step. Resisting the urge to glance backwards, the prince ran on, though the pain in his leg was growing. Finally he couldn't resist anymore and looked back over his shoulder. His sight filled with flame and he only just managed to duck below it's range. Damn! The huge man wasn't slowing at all! This was terrible! His whole plan was falling to shambles around him! 

Finally deciding to stand and fight, Zuko put on a burst of speed, tears nearly spilling from his eyes from the aching throb shooting up his leg. Gaining enough ground, he skidded to a stop, wheeling about to face the Captain and assuming as strong a root as he could with his injured leg. He punched rapidly, pouring fireballs forth at Zhao, each kicking up a huge cloud of dust, blocking Zuko's view. He didn't care though. Some of the flames **had** to hit the giant with some effect he thought. Sensing the end was near, the prince poured forth all his energy into one final earth-slamming blow that sent a twister of fire tearing towards where Zhao supposedly was. 

Finally, panting with exhaustion, Zuko straightened back up and tried to find his opponent, or what was left of him, through the smoke and dust. Seeing nothing, he shrugged and turned around, prepared to declare his victory to his father...and came face to face with the Captain. Gaping like a dead fish, he leapt back as Zhao swung his foot around, kicking up a wave of flame, but landed hard on his bad leg. Crumpling in pain to the ground, he could only watch in horror as the fire blazed towards him, filling his vision with red and orange all save for a small empty space centered around the angry, disappointed look on his father's face, watching uncaringly as the flames took hold of his only son's body, forever scaring him with the mark of his failure. And then, the world went dark. 

Rolling over and pressing the scarred half of his face into his pillow, Zuko choked back a rare sob, forcing the cold hard complexion back onto his face. He could not cry. He hadn't since the day he'd been exiled, and he couldn't now...the few followers he had might leave him if they perceived any weakness from their leader. Still, he thought as turned sadly to face the charred remains of the staff again before relaxing back into his bed, why did I have to make that stupid challenge? I only wanted to please Father...If only he'd noticed me...noticed...me... His thoughts faded into darkness as the prince fell into another troubled sleep, riddled with the dark dreams of his defeat.

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1- Jingsang/ Jinsang/ Possibly even a weird form of Ginseng...again, the spelling 

Okay! That's it for chapter one...sorry the dream part was so long...I got caught up in it. I promise the other chapters will have far far less flashbacks or dream sequences. This one just needed this to get it off and running. And yes, I know it's not written the best, but that's okay, right? It's still good, right? Please please PLEASE let me know what you thought! Thank you! 

P.S. I'm gonna continue it either way, so take heart, those of you who liked it! 


	2. Waltz for One

**For the Love of Him -or- The Betrothal**

Hey! Welcome back all! Ready for chapter two? It's a bit funnier than the last one (not that either are particularly funny though...IT'S A ROMANCE, NOT A HUMOR! I'M TRYING TO BRANCH OUT!) especially at the beginning...anyways, here you go! 

Oh, and thank you to Red Hawk K'sani for setting me straight on a few points. Heh, I figured the Zhao part out just after I posted the first chapter and I went back and changed it, but it seems to be slow in updating that...Also, I'll go back and fix Iroh's name as soon as I can! THANKS AGAIN! Gives cookies

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own Avatar: TLAB. Nickelodion does. Sadly. Still. Still wish I did, still want to make the plot do what I want it to, but I still don't so I still can't. Anyways...I still do own the OC, one 'Miss Ajuna'. This is still my first romance, ever, of any series, so I still have no idea how it will go. It still probably doesn't help that the series still hasn't been fully shown yet, so I still have no idea if this completely destroys or deviates from the actual course of events. Constructive comments will still be enjoyed, however flames will still not be tolerated. Thank you for your time, and I'm sorry for still using the word 'still' so much. 

**Chapter 2- Waltz for One**

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The following morning, waking-ness greeted Prince Zuko by flashing a brilliant shaft of morning light directly into his face. "Hnnn..." he grumbled unhappily, yanking his pillow out from under his head and shielding his face from the glare by covering his head with it. "Too early," he mumbled into the cool softness of the cushion. Someone, his uncle most likely, knocked once, twice on his door, it's angry metallic sound grating on the prince's ears. "Too early!" he rumbled again, louder this time, enough so that whoever it was could clearly hear him. 

"Get up Prince Zuko! You have to train if you still wish to defeat the Avatar!" his uncle's voice rang, a gentle but firm command. 

"Hnnn..." Zuko mumbled again, rolling over onto his stomach, yanking his covers up over his head and getting a firm hold onto his futon. His dreams had finally subsided, leaving him in peace, and he was loathe to let sleep go without a good fight. "Get up!" Iroh demanded again, banging harder on the door. When Zuko just burrowed deeper into his bed with no audible reply, the general sighed, rolled his eyes as he turned the handle and let himself in. _Stubborn Boy. Always did like to sleep in._ he thought to himself as he crossed the threshold...and froze just inside the doorway. 

"What happened in here? Where did the tapestries go? And why are there these scorch marks on the walls?" Iroh asked, placing a hand on one of the black and sooty streaks on the wall as he gazed with wide eyes around the nearly barren room. "Do you know Zuko?" The prince went stiff at his uncle's words, grimacing into the sheets. He'd have to get new hangings and books from one of the unoccupied rooms to replace the burned ones later. Well, there wasn't anything he could do about that now, he shrugged mentally, pretending to be asleep by way of fending off his uncle's questions. He didn't want to discuss those dreams again, especially not with his uncle. He'd just zone out or ask for tea midway through anyway. 

_That dream again...poor kid._ Iroh shook his head sadly at his nephew's cocooned form and tapped an exposed foot with his cold boot. He couldn't help but grin a bit when the foot was yanked back under the covers with a little yelp. "Ah well, I'm sure the tapestries are just being cleaned. The staff here is good about keeping this place spotless. Get up and meet me on the deck in thirty minutes. We'll run through the basics again. Maybe we'll do the advanced sect again as well...after some tea, of course," Iroh's voice quieted as he turned and headed for the door, wandering out and shutting it behind him with a metallic clang and wandering back down the hall, his long robes swishing softly on the floor behind him. _Maybe that will take his mind off his defeat...you would think he would be over it a bit more...it has been two years. I suppose it would be...unforgettable...though._

As soon as his uncle's footsteps faded away, Zuko looked up, two dark eyes peeking out from the blankets, peering about over the pillow. A sparkle of hope glimmered faintly in them as he slowly stretched, sighing happily as his muscles settled back into place. He liked stretching. Firebenders seemed to be naturally tense, and the release it gave felt good. For a moment he considered just going back to sleep, but his uncle's words rang out from the back of his mind. Would his uncle really let him go over the advanced sect again, he wondered as he shook the covers off. 

He stood slowly, stretching again and yawning as he blinked quickly, trying to adjust his eyes to the bright light of the room. It really was too early to be up, he decided as he gazed out the window at the barely risen sun, squinting as it reflected through a nearby iceberg, throwing a handful of rainbows down onto the deck's top. "Pretty..." he sighed as he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his dark pants**1** and started searching for a shirt, bypassing a bin that was stuffed full of the burnt objects on his way to his closet. _I'll have to toss those out too,_ he thought to himself as he slid the door open. 

Inside he lit a candle with a flick of his finger against the wick and a flash of fire. Light pooled out from the waxy column, casting the room into shadowy relief and filling it with a warm reddish glow. It seemed that everything associated with the Fire Nation had a reddish tone to it, be it the clothes, the ships, the food, it didn't matter. Zuko smiled to himself, rocking back on his heels, taking in the warm atmosphere. He liked red. He'd been surrounded by it all his life, and it was relaxing to him. 

Somewhere on the ship, a gong sounded, it's wavering echoes bouncing around inside the hull of the boat, building slowly until the entire ship could hear it's tones. The prince quickly snapped out of his revere and gently sat the candle down, heading for the small drawer of one bureau that contained his shirts. _Time already?_ He scowled as he selected one, the same dark burnt color as all the rest and slid it over his head, pausing to free it when it snagged on his ponytail before sliding it the rest of the way down and yanking on it to release a few wrinkles. _Now I won't have time to eat anything before I meet Uncle. Not that I would eat much of anything anyways..._ his somber thoughts bounced about inside his head, causing his eyebrows to furrow in slight concern. He hadn't been able to eat much lately it seemed, and his lack of appetite was beginning to show. He sighed, letting himself slide to the floor for a moment. _Is something wrong with me? I can't eat, want to sleep all day, and when I do that dream comes back. It's been coming back stronger lately...I wonder if it's an omen..._ his thoughts began to wander. 

A few moments later he was shaken back to reality by the gong's second tone. He leapt to his feet, regaining his cool composure with the effortlessness of years of practice and headed for the door back to his room, blowing the candle out and setting it back on it's table on the way. He bent and scooped his bed things up and tossed them back into a corner of the closet, effectively clearing the floor of his room before he shut the closet door again and heading out to the hall. Once there, he turned left, heading off at a slightly quickened pace for the deck, letting his arms swing freely at his sides. Every now and again some soldier or other would cross his path and step aside with a 'Good morning Sir.' or some other such greeting. Zuko just growled and shrugged them off. He wasn't in the mood for their scraping and bowing today. 

He stopped once on his way to meet his uncle and stood before a tall, dark portrait of a man wreathed in flames, whose eyes seemed to glare shamefully down at him. Zuko glared back with all the ferocity he could muster, barely stopping himself from tossing a handful of flames at it. Instead, he backed up a step and bowed stiffly at the waist. As he stood there, still bowed over, he murmured under his breath, "Soon. I _will_ capture the Avatar soon. And then you will restore my honor to me. And I will be able to return home...Father," he almost spat the last word. Two years at sea had given him all the time he needed to build up a store of bitterness towards the man who he had once worshiped above all but who had rejected him in return. The bitterness still seething in his eyes, Zuko straightened back up, narrowed his eyes at the portrait of his father and turned and stormed off towards the deck. 

Just outside the door that led to the deck, General Iroh was seated at a low table, calmly sipping his first cup of hot tea for the day. "The first one is always the best...hot jingsang...my favorite." He looked up, glancing back at the door as it creaked open and his nephew stepped briskly out. "Ah, there you are! Come, join me for some tea!" He gestured to a cushion across the table from him, motioning with a smile for Zuko to sit. The prince looked as if he was about to say something but then snapped his mouth shut and silently took the offered seat. "Here," Iroh passed a hot cup of the tea to Zuko "It's jingsang, m-" 

"Your favorite, I know Uncle," Zuko interrupted as he gazed sullenly into the tea's hot depths. He took a small sip and then sat the cup back down. It seemed that not even jingsang -it was one of his favorites too- could stimulate his appetite as of late. He sat a moment longer, watching the curls of steam rise from the hot tea as he waited for his uncle to finish. When Iroh finally set his cup back down, Zuko slid himself back from the table and leapt to his feet, eager to start training. "Now, you've had your tea. You will teach me the advanced sect," he said, more a command than a request. 

"That's not exactly what I meant..." Iroh mumbled to himself as he set his cup down beside Zuko's. "All right, I will teach you. But first you must warm up. Drill the basics again," he commanded, pouring out another round of tea and waving for two soldiers to step forward and face the prince. _Not this again...If we're going to do the basics, can't we at least drill a different run for once?_ Zuko wondered as he assumed his proper position, forming the third point of the triangle formed by himself and the two warriors. They bowed, bending to almost 45 degrees at the waist. He nodded back, a slight tilt of the head as he struck the first pose and readied for the fight to begin. 

"Go!" Iroh called, raising a hand to signal the battle's start from his seat at the table. Together, the three benders sprang to life. The first soldier and the smaller of the two, leapt into the air, sweeping his foot down in a blaze of falling sparks towards the prince. Zuko darted ahead, shooting under the airborne bender, dancing around the falling embers and aiming a flaming punch skywards. He heard a satisfyingly loud thump as the fire connected with his target and he spun to face the other, who by that time had also begun his attack. Instead of leaping straight for Zuko, the second warrior has chosen to stay at a distance, and was firing multiple blasts of flame towards the prince as he slowly worked his way closer in a spiral fashion. One after the next, Zuko dodged the fireballs, leaping, dodging, even blasting a few out of his way with his own round of flames. 

Deciding to go on the offensive, he stepped up to a slight run, his long ponytail flying wildly behind him as he sped around the deck slowly gaining on his sole adversary. In order to keep ahead of the attacking prince, the soldier sped up as well, running ahead of his charge. Suddenly, as Zuko finally got in range, he stopped, changing directions and sprinting back the other way. Not realizing that the prince had stopped chasing him, the soldier kept right on running, not willing to let the prince catch up with him. Out of what seemed like a completely empty patch of air to the charging bender, Zuko appeared, flying towards him at an alarming speed, before he leapt into the air, flying high up and into the sun's glare. 

He hung there for a moment, a dark silhouette, brilliantly outlined by the morning sun. Then, with a cry to wake anyone on the ship who might still be sleeping, he fell, plummeting down, a fiery comet aimed directly at the remaining bender. There was a flash, from which even the battle-hardened Iroh had to throw up an arm to shield his eyes from, and the sickening sound of bones cracking and an odd sizzling sound. Slowly at first, then quicker, the blinding light faded away, leaving the two combatants frozen in plain sight, as if they were actors on a stage at the end of a dramatic play, waiting for the curtain to fall. Zuko was balanced squarely on one foot, with his other smashed into a large dent on the stunned warrior's shoulder. Or what was left of it. The man shuddered once and crumpled to the ground, grasping at his ruined arm in pain. There was a huge bruise there, where Zuko had broken the bone straight in two, and the sheer intensity of the fire had not only burnt the cloth encasing it away, but it had melted the armor and part of the helmet on that side of his head, which had run down and hardened around his misshapen shoulder, leaving a blackish, hardening wound. 

"Well?" Zuko asked his uncle, still frozen in place. "Am I warmed up enough to move on to the advanced sect yet?" His eyes flickered over to his uncle, fixing him with a look filled with the thrill of battle and the fire of the power he felt at defeating his opponents. It was a look Iroh hadn't seen since his days on the battle field and he was surprised at just how much it disturbed him to see it again after all these years, that look of the willing combatant, fighting not only for his own honor or to prove that it could be done, but the look hinted with sheer enjoyment at sending someone crashing down in utter defeat. 

"Y-yes...I believe you are..." he said, a quaver to his voice.

* * *

1- He slept in pants, just in case anyone wanted to know. 

Anyways, that's chapter two...I know I said I'd wait until I got ten reviews...but then, patience was never a good quality of mine...and my friends wanted to read it! Abi, you know who you are! R&R THIS TIME! That goes for the rest of you too! 

P.S. Oh, and I'm sorry that I'm not so good at battle scenes...I hope it was okay! 

Bye now! And Happy Banana Hunting! 


	3. Sketches of a Past Time Part 1

**For the Love of Him -or- The Betrothal**

•Slowly becoming more and more emotional throughout this part• Wow. I just want to say thanks to all of you who reviewed. This is the most reviews I've ever gotten for one story...I mean, it just means so much to me...man, now I'm gonna cry, and I'll never be able to get through this...just go and read the story, okay? Just go! •Runs off to sob somewhere• 

Again, thanks to everyone who helped with the grammar and stuff...I was never very good at that...heh, so thanks again! •Hands out cookies•

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own Avatar: TLAB. Nickelodeon does. Sadly. St-blah blah blah blah blah yada yada yada yada and so on and so forth etc. etc. Constructive comments will still be enjoyed, however flames will still not be tolerated. Thank you for your time, and please please PLEASE I'm BEGGING you, R&R! 

Also, it seems I can't make asterisks show up anymore, so I've substituted the little '•' thingies where needed until it works again. 

**Chapter 3- Sketches of a Past Time Part 1**

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Prince Zuko scowled to himself as he flung yet another burned book over his shoulder. It landed on the side of a steadily growing pile of similar books and slid down, knocking a few others loose on it's way. The books were of all different colors, sized, bindings, subjects, their only common quality being that each and everyone was singed beyond repair. Some were no more than the book's spine and a few centimeters of pages, while some had only burned just enough as to be unreadable. A treasure trove of knowledge had been lost in the blaze brought about from Zuko's recurring nightmares. Knowledge was power when used in the right hands, and now no one would ever know what could have been learned from those blackened books. The prince growled unhappily to himself as he flung the last few ruined tomes onto the pile. Angry with himself he lashed out, aiming a kick at the nearest book. It flew into the air and burst apart, its fire-weakened bindings no match for the prince's furious assault. Small bits of pages and ash rained down, covering another patch of the room in fine dark soot. 

"Great. Now I'll have to wash off the floors too." He growled to himself as he began to pile the ruined books into a wooden crate. Cleaning wasn't a favorite pastime of his, but he would have to do it himself. Zuko didn't want the servants to begin to wonder about why there was so much late-night destruction. If they _did_, they might ask his uncle about it, and he didn't want to have to play patient to his uncle's 'therapy sessions' again. Therapy sessions. He almost laughed to himself. Why in all the nations Iroh would think himself a psychologist was beyond him. The man couldn't go two sentences without jumping subjects or asking for more tea. And when he did manage to remain coherently on one topic, he would usually draw completely incorrect conclusions, which would then complicate matters to the point where Zuko would often just get up and leave while wondering to himself whether he was the one with the problems or if his uncle was. True, the man was a brilliant warrior and a skilled bender with Zuko's respect, but a therapist he most certainly was not. Still grinning in a slightly morbid way to himself, he quickly swept the ashes under a nearby mat on the floor, effectively hiding it for the time being. 

He went back to the bookshelf and as he placed the last book, one titled 'Advanced Firebending Arts Made Easy', into the crate he sighed a little and sagged briefly against it. Advanced Firebending...easy? He laughed quietly to himself. His uncle had finally conceded to teaching him the advanced arts, and after only one day's worth of them he truly felt that he could fall into his first dreamless sleep in a very long time. The techniques had been beyond even what _he'd_ been expecting. Zuko fully felt as if he'd been run into the ground by a herd of rampaging Komodo Rhinos. His rolled-up bed called to him from across the room, through the open door of his closet. All he had to do was pull it out and he could sleep, that was all he had t- He shook himself out of whatever illusions his lack of sleep had flung him into. He couldn't sleep without first cleaning up a bit, so in case his uncle came in to wake him again it would look as if the servants really had been in to clean. 

Yawning tiredly he got back up, yanking the box up with him, hefting it onto one shoulder as he headed slowly out the door. He'd find some unused things to replace his own and leave the box there he decided as he wandered a little ways down the corridor and turned the handle to one of the unoccupied rooms. Dust swirled up around him as he entered, no one had been in there for quite a while it seemed. A tiny twinge at the back of his throat from the dust started a chain reaction that, though it was small, would change Zuko's life forever. ((A/N: Yes yes yes, I know it's clichéd, but I had to do it, okay?)) The twinge soon turned to an itch, and then a full out scratching feeling until finally he couldn't stand it anymore and gave in to the growing urge to cough. Unfortunately, he hadn't counted on the power and velocity of his coughs, or that every time he'd stopped and tried to breathe in, more dust would get into his lungs and cause the process to start up all over again. The violent coughs accidentally shook the box from it's perch on his shoulder, sending it crashing to the ground at the base of a bookcase, in fact the very one Zuko had been looking for. 

With only a few books on it's shelves, barely enough to replace half of what the prince had lost, it was light, and the chains that had held it to the wall for almost as long as the ship had existed had grown weak from lack of care and attention. When the heavy crate landed at its base, the final bit of metal holding it up snapped, and the shelves pitched forward, dumping their contents onto the floor. Zuko took an alarmed step back, still wheezing from all the dust, and winced as the heavy shelves slammed down to the floor, missing him by mere inches. He stood there stunned for a moment, staring at the bookcase that had nearly killed him, watching warily as the huge plumes of swirling dust it had kicked up finally began to dissipate. Then, giving himself a little shake, set about gathering things back up. _True, it would be hard to explain a crash like that, but if no one has been in to repair or clean things this room for so long, then I doubt anyone will really wonder as to why it fell over._ He reassured himself as he pushed the last few of his own books into a shadowy corner and quickly yanked the tapestries down from the wall. He rolled them up and carefully stacked them near the door and turned back to the fallen shelves, stepping gently around it while picking up a few books to take back and replace his burned ones. 

_I mean, it is no great surprise that something this old would-_ He froze, looking over a small book he'd been about to toss over his shoulder in disregard. It was bound in old brown leather, and frayed near the edges from what once must have been near constant use. It was inconspicuous, and most people would have overlooked it, but something had made Zuko stop and look a bit closer. Beneath the layers of dust he thought he could make something out. He extended a hand to wipe at the dust, but before he could manage it, he heard the echoing steps of a group of people, most likely his uncle leading a group to investigate the crash, approaching from down the hall. 

He quickly tossed the little book into the crate along with several others and leapt to his feet, his previous exhaustion long forgotten amidst the chaos of the recent events. He ran to the door and outside, shooting down the hallway and into his room. He dropped the box and tapestries and turned back to the door, gently shutting it behind him just as Iroh and -Zuko had been right- several soldiers rounded the corner. He quickly turned back to the task at hand, grabbing books by threes and fours and stuffing them onto his shelves, attempting to make it looks like they'd been there for a while by swiping the dust from their spines as he aligned them to his satisfaction. 

The sound of people talking and moving around in the room just down the hall and then some getting closer sent Zuko into and even greater frenzy. He whirled around the room, scooping the hangings up and swiftly hooking them onto the nails from the old burned ones, smacking at the dust on each as he ran by. Hearing the footsteps getting even closer, he all but sprinted back to the middle of the room, and seeing the box he'd brought the books in was empty save for the little leather book, he grabbed it, sliding the tiny book into one of his pockets as he made for his closet and tossed the crate in, slamming the door just as two knocks ran out sharply from the hall. 

"W-what do you want?" He just managed to get out as he flung himself into a cross-legged sitting position before his desk and lit the candles there with a sharp intake of breath. He forced a calm look onto his face as he glanced towards the door in time to see his uncle enter, a concerned look on the older man's face. He blinked once before turning back to stare at the candles' flames, hoping he didn't appear too out of sorts. 

"Prince Zuko, I heard a crash from this direction." his uncle stated calmly. "I brought a group with me to investigate it. It seems somehow one of the bookcases in one of the empty rooms nearby broke free of the wall and fell over. Did you by chance see anything?" he asked as he peered around the room before turning back to face his nephew, a dark shape against the light of the candles, sitting in his usual meditation position. 

"Yes, I heard a crash a little while ago. I assumed it was just someone training up on the deck. I was meditating at the time and I didn't want to loose my focus and go and see what it was." he lied, the words tumbling out over each other in a fashion that made him sound more like he had just woken up than as if he'd just come out of meditation. 

"Hmm..." Iroh looked around suspiciously. Zuko began to fidget slightly, tapping a finger against his knee, waiting for the accusation he knew would come but never did. "Well, I shall inform you if we discover anything." His uncle finally stated after taking a lengthy look around the room. One of the tapestries, he'd noticed, seemed strangely dusty, and several of the books had slid to one side of the shelf, collapsing under their own weight it seemed. Iroh narrowed his eyes suspiciously. _Could it have been...no. Of course not._ The general shook his head. So the room was a bit untidy. It wasn't so unusual a thing for a teenager's room now, was it? He nodded to himself and turned back to the door. "I see the servants returned your things. I'll have to thank them later. Good evening." He waved a farewell to Zuko as he shut the door behind him and headed off, back to his rooms the prince suspected. 

Zuko let out a sigh of relief as soon as the metal door clanged shut after his uncle. _Looks like they don't suspect it was me._ He thought as he blew the candles out and strode over to his window, leaning on the windowsill, his body recalling just how tired he really was. _Not that they really could accuse me of much. So a bookcase fell over. And even if I was there, it IS my ship. I have the right to be anywhere I want on it._ He reassured himself and slid the glass pane back, letting the sweet evening air wash over him as he watched the last rays of the setting sun fad into the horizion. The cold air didn't really bother him. He was a firebender after all. He relaxed there a moment; the only sound that of the waves gently lapping at the boat's sides as they slid gracefully past the last small glacier. 

Zuko smiled to himself. They were finally leaving the arctic area and after chasing the Avatar around in the snow for so long he was quite looking forward to getting back to the warmer climates he was more suited to. He'd finally be able to relax on the deck without having to worry about getting a cold or some other such thing. Just because he was warm didn't mean he wouldn't get sick, and he'd much rather be able to train and fight without having to stop and blow his nose every other moment. Sighing contentedly he turned and looked up at the sky, smiling again as he saw the first night star blink to light. He didn't wish upon it, he had tried it before and his wish had never come true, but knowing he'd spotted the first evening star still enthralled him in a way only those silly childhood fantasies could. 

Zuko yawned again and leaned back inside, sliding the window shut again and heading for his closet door. He took a final glance at the sky, now littered with stars as he lit the candle just across the threshold and yawned as he entered. He shuffled tiredly over to his rolled up futon and yawned another time as he bent down to scoop it up under his arm. This time, for some reason that was inexplicable to him at the time, he actually felt like he was going to sleep well. _Maybe it was all that training.._ he wondered as he shut the closet behind him and unrolled the bed onto the floor. 

As he was smoothing down the sheets, the small book he'd stashed in his pocket earlier tumbled out, landing with a soft thud atop his pillow, a small bit of dust wafting up and dissolving into the air as Zuko watched. He'd almost forgotten all about it. Eyes locked in place on it, he finished his preparations for bed, blowing out candles; changing his clothes and such, and sat down atop his futon, taking the old book carefully in his hands. Most of the cover was still swathed in dust, but a small patch had rubbed off on the inside of his pocket, revealing the very edge of an in lain pattern of what seemed to be gold. Something about that bit of gold seemed to strike a chord within Zuko, like the first bits of a long forgotten memory just then returning to him. Feeling his heart speed up to what felt like almost twice it's usual pace, he gently brushed the think layers of dust from the leather-bound book. 

Zuko's eyes widened in surprise as the rest of the pattern on the front was revealed. _Where...? I haven't seen this in ages!_ His thoughts were racing with excitement. The front of the book bore a large golden seal atop it's front, a stylized form of the emblem of the fire nation. This wasn't what had so shocked the prince though. Just about anything made in or by the Fire Nation had some form of that emblem, it wasn't so unusual. What had sent him reeling was the tiny little golden letter woven into the flames of the crest. Such designs were very complex, and took much time and effort to weave. Usually only the very rich or noble could afford something like this and would never leave it on a shelf to gather dust, even if it had grown old and worn. Zuko immediately knew what the book was and to whom it belonged. He couldn't help but run his hand, it's fingers quivering with excitement, along the outline of the golden letter. It was a 'Z' woven into the gold, patterned as if to depict a young child's form of writing, that not-quite-right squiggly way that all children wrote in at one time or another. The way Zuko himself had used at the time he'd been asked to sign a 'Z' for the cover of his book. The book he thought he'd lost ages ago. The book he now held in trembling hands. 

On their fifth birthday, it was tradition that all the children of the Fire Nation were given an empty book, be it fancy or plain, to write in. It was theirs to fill with whatever they chose, and it was considered wrong to try and tell any child what they should have put into it. Once long ago even Prince Zuko had had such a book. He'd often written in it, filling it with his childish thoughts and desires. Most of it he had filled with such writing, though in a few places he'd added pictures, or in the case of something a bit more special, such as finding an interesting plant or some strange feathers, he'd asked the castle's artists for assistance in drawing it. As Zuko carefully opened the book, pulling gently at the pages, almost afraid to touch it for fear it would crumble at the slightest exertion on it's bindings, it was one of these such drawings that tore loose, and fluttered to the ground just in front of him. He stared at it for a moment before gently setting the book back atop his pillow and reaching out to carefully grasp the page. He lifted it to catch the light from the last candle burning just at the side of the futon and gasped, a flood of memories pouring forth at the sight of the dark charcoal lines on the paper. 

It was a beautifully done work of art, obviously one worked on by one of the castle's best artists. In the center of the page there were two young children, probably seven at the very most, frozen in time. They were a boy and a girl, each balanced carefully on one foot atop a tall wooden pole which would have extended far off the bottom of the page. The girl, her long hair tied back in wavy designs, held a small ball of fire in her hands, as if she was about to toss it over to her friend. The boy had his hands up, waiting eagerly for her to pass the ball over. Obviously they were playing a traditional game of Fire-toss, a popular game among beginner fire benders. It was a sight Zuko had often seen back when he'd lived in the Fire capital. What really captured his attention about the piece was the neat, tidy writing at the bottom of the page. It read: "Prince Zuko and His Betrothed, Lady Ajuna, ages seven and six respectively."

* * *

So, that's it for part one of chapter 3! I decided to split it up because it would have been really hard to keep track of everything that had gone one in one really long chapter, so now it's split up. I'm going to get right at part two, so it should be along shortly. **Again, PLEASE R&R!** Thanks all! 


	4. Sketches of a Past Time Part 2

**For the Love of Him -or- The Betrothal**

Once again, I thank all of you who bothered to review! Reviews are the life-blood of my inspiration, so therefore the more I get, the sooner I write the next chapter! •Gives out cookies•

Also, this part is dedicated to my friends and fellow insane obsesses of Avatar, Abigail and Mattie! See? You guys don't hafta throw paper balls at me anymore! I wrote the next bit!

Disclaimer: Okay, here's the deal...I'm saving up to try to buy Avatar**1** but working at minimum wage doesn't exactly rake in the cash...so for the time being, I'm sad to report that it's still Nickelodeon's.

**Chapter 3- Sketches of a Past Time Part 2**

* * *

_On their fifth birthday, it was tradition that all the children of the Fire Nation were given an empty book, be it fancy or plain, to write in...Once long ago even Prince Zuko had had such a book and he'd often written in it, filling it with his childish thoughts and desires...As he carefully opened the book, pulling gently at the pages, almost afraid to touch it for fear it would crumble at the slightest exertion on it's bindings, one page covered in drawings tore loose and fluttered to the ground just in front of him..._

_It was a beautifully done work of art, obviously one worked on by one of the castle's best artists. In the center of the page there were two young children, probably seven at the very most, frozen in time. They were a boy and a girl, each balanced carefully on one foot atop a tall wooden pole which would have extended far off the bottom of the page. The girl, her long hair tied back in wavy designs, held a small ball of fire in her hands, as if she was about to toss it over to her friend. The boy had his hands up, waiting eagerly for her to pass the ball over. Obviously they were playing a traditional game of Fire-toss, a popular game among beginner fire benders. It was a sight Zuko had often seen back when he'd lived in the Fire capital. What really captured his attention about the piece was the neat, tidy writing at the bottom of the page. It read: "Prince Zuko and His Betrothed, Lady Ajuna, ages seven and six respectively."_

•••

Zuko stared at the small charcoal drawing he held carefully in his hands, eyes flickering back and forth from the art itself and the faded words written below. It was most certainly him in the picture, no doubt about that. Even as a child he'd always been designated as royalty, mostly by the clothes he wore and the patterns woven into the shirt. The ones depicted in the art were a dead giveaway of his status to anyone with an understanding of such customs.

_That's definitely me..._ he thought to himself, eyes flickering to lock onto the image of himself, traveling slowly over the face of his youth. _So then that would make this..._ His eyes had jumped over to the girl holding the ball of fire before he looked back down at the words entailing the picture below. "My...betrothed?" His eyebrows**2** furrowed down and together in confusion, casting odd shadows onto his face in the flickering candlelight. "Ajuna?" The name sounded familiar in his mouth, the way the sounds rolled off his tongue. But as hard as he thought about it, he couldn't seem to recall ever being told by anyone that he'd been betrothed. Not even his uncle had mentioned it within memory.

_How can someone be betrothed and not have any knowledge of it? How could **I** be..._He wracked his brain in a futile attempt to think of even one incident when he'd felt loved. _No, I couldn't be..._He shook his head sadly when none came to mind. He quickly cast the picture aside, squeezing his eyes shut to force back the sudden pain he felt. For one brief moment, something joyous and loving that he hadn't even known was in his heart had sprung to life with renewed hope, and the ache he felt when his logic crushed it beneath it's uncaring heel was almost unbearable. "There is no way anyone would ever care for me...especially in that way." Zuko's life had been filled with so much hurt, so much refusal and uncaring-ness up to that point that his mind just denied the concept of someone loving him. 'Zuko is alone...He always has been...He always will be. End of story.' was what it said. Once he'd accepted this, it was almost a physical law unto itself, impossible to change.

Zuko's shoulders sagged and he slumped down where he was sitting. His previous exhaustion seemed to return to him doubled over. "No one would love me." he sighed as he stuffed the drawing back into the book and moved it from his pillow, setting it down to the side of the futon. "Even if she _did_ love me back then...there's no reason she would still have those feelings...especially for a dishonored and exiled prince," he scorned himself, his voice icy with shame and self-pity. That set off another round of self-berating about his defeat and Zuko spent the next good few minutes mentally arguing with himself.

His thoughts were interrupted for a second time that day by the sounding of the huge gong that was stored below deck. It rang three times now, signaling the end of the day and the changing of the guards. The prince couldn't help but yawn as the last tone faded out into the cool silence of the arctic night. _I'll ask Uncle Iroh about the picture in the morning...It was probably just a mistake the artist made...maybe he can tell me about it._ He nodded tiredly to himself as he turned down the sheets and got into bed. His eyelids wobbled up and down as he pulled the covers back up and he reached up to loose his hair from it's ponytail. He unwound the long red band that held it up and shook his head quickly once or twice so that it fell loosely around his ears.

As he leaned back and blew out the candle with a wave of his hand, his eyes fell once more on the tiny book that had caused him so much emotional turbulence that day. _Well...maybe I won't ask Uncle about it...for a little at least...maybe I can...find out more...in...there..._His eyes closed and with a final yawn Zuko slipped into a sleep littered with dreams, the likes of which he had never seen before, and for once in the last two years of his life would be peaceful.

•••

_It was the light smell of flowers in bloom that first woke Zuko from a restful slumber. He yawned lazily and stretched, throwing his arms up high over his head. Large, innocent brown eyes fluttered open, and lit up with joy at what they saw. It was a glorious day in the palace of the fire lord. The large doors -they were more like huge windows- that led out onto his own private balcony had come loose in the night and a gust of warm spring air had pushed them open. From his bed the young prince could see the very tops of the trees in the royal garden, laden with light pink buds, swollen and about to bloom. Behind them, a thin mist cast a translucent veil over the snow-capped mountains that ringed the nation's capital, shielding it from invaders. Somewhere outside, a bird chirruped, twittering a happy morning tune. _

_Feeling a sudden need to be outside, little Zuko**3** flung off the sheets and leapt out of bed, leaping to his feet at a run. "I'm going outside today! I want to see the garden!" he called out to the guards who were strategically stationed around in the shadows of the room as he dashed up to his closet, flung the door open and skipped inside. "Tell Uncle that I'm not going to training today!" his was slightly muffled by the shirt he was attempting to tug on that had somehow managed to get turned around backwards and caught on his ears._

_The guards glanced around at each other and communally made a mental decision on who would speak. The elected was the soldier nearest the main door. He gulped and tried to steady himself. Young princes were always hard to deal with, especially if they had it into their head that they wanted to do something. And even more so if the said prince just so happened to be one of the best firebenders in his age group and had a reputation for setting the sleeves of whomever it was that tried to dissuade him on fire. "Y-Young Sir," he stammered, all the while mentally begging that he wouldn't suffer a fiery humiliation at the hands of a six-year-old. "Your uncle has made it clear to us that you are indeed scheduled to train today. He will be most irate if you don't-" _

_"I DON'T CARE!" came Zuko's vehement reply. He stormed out of the closet dressed in his favorite yukata, the one he always wore outside in the garden in case he got dirty, and with two fists full of flame. "I'm going outside and there's nothing you or Uncle can do to stop me!" he growled, attempting to be fierce...well, as fierce as a pyromaniac kindergartener could be. Either way it seemed to work as the guard fell silent and slunk back a few steps until he was barely visible in the shadows. "A-as you wish your highness..." he stammered, unconsciously reaching down to roll up his sleeves. The soldier only let his guard down when the fiery boy finally doused his ire and skipped out of the room with a huge childish smile and a little wave and a call of, "Don't forget to tell Uncle!"_

_Outside the room, Zuko continued skipping down the wide and twisting hallways. After continuing in this manner for a little while, he came to a halt, glanced back over his shoulder, and let loose a whoop of laughter. The soldiers were soooo easy to freak out! Everyday without fail it seemed, he could make at least one of them squirm. His reputation did most of the work for him now too. He was the infamous Prince Zuko! In the six-year-old's head, trumpets played brave battle music and people all across the land were cheering 'All hail the Great Prince Zuko, greatest firebender of all time!' and 'Look, not even the palace guards can stand up to him! He must be second only to his father!'. Zuko smiled to himself, quite pleased with the pictures floating through his head. One day he **would** be the best firebender...maybe even better than his father! _

_Full of excitement and gusto, he went back to skipping and made a beeline for the door that led to the palace's wondrous gardens. Maybe after I look at the flowers I'll go back and train...He pondered as he set back down on two feet and leaned against the paper door, sliding it open with both hands. Uncle really will be mad if I don't go to lessons...and I won't get stronger if I just look at flowers all day...Yes, I'll see the garden and then go back to train. He nodded to himself, satisfied with his choice. He stepped through the doorway to the garden and turned to slide the door shut behind him. It made a gentle wood-on-wood clicking noise and he spun to face the first exotic flora inside the beautiful plant haven. _

_It was a pretty bunch of reddish flowers with little tints of yellow and purple known as 'Fire-Blooms'**4** and he decided to pick some on a whim. He snapped a few stems towards the bottom and gathered two of the red blossoms together. He glanced about, looking for something to hold them together, and his eyes settled on a small silverish colored ribbon slightly pushed underneath a large prickly bush. He reached out to grab it but withdrew his hand with a yelp as one of the thorns drew blood. Still, he was determined to get at the ribbon and soon had it braided around the flowers, along with several small cuts for his trouble. "Not really anything to worry about," He shrugged and went deeper into the forest of flowers, having decided he wanted to collect some of all the new flowers._

_About half an hour and almost ten different kinds of flowers later Zuko decided to stop and sit for a while by a small ember-koi**5** pod nestled between another Fire-Bloom bush and the edge of the forest of Cherry Trees. He reached a hand down into the water and laughed a little when one of the fish swam up and nibbled on his fingers. He let that hand dangle in the luke-warm water for a moment more and then withdrew it and stuck the ends of the flowers in. "There...a nice drink so you don't wilt!" He laughed again as the fish returned, causing him to have to move the stems back and forth to try and avoid it. "No koi! Those are mine! Don't eat them!" he scolded the fish as he pulled the plants back out of the water. "You can't eat these...here!" He pulled up another Fire-Bloom and tossed it to the fish, __which hurriedly__ swam up and pulled the flower down into the water. "Heh heh...strange fish...he eats flowers!" Zuko shook his head and got to his feet. He didn't want to be out too long, but he did want to see the entire garden before he went back in, and there was still a lot to go._

_For a while he wandered back and forth in the small line between where the flowers were growing and where the cherry trees started, gathering a few more blooms and just looking about. Somehow he couldn't help but feel that something was missing from his bundle of flowers. After a while he made it back to the koi pond and watered the flowers again before heading into the forest of blooms. He'd never been very deep in the forest before, and though he was a little worried about getting lost, something about the way the light pink buds seemed to rustle around him with every passing breeze seemed to calm him. Little Zuko began to skip again, nodding his head back and forth, humming a __nonsensical__ little tune he made up as he went along. It was a glorious day to be outside, and he was loving every bit of it._

_At one point, he came upon a small hill with trees going right to the top. The view from there is probably the best in the whole garden! Zuko cheered as he raced up the small hillock. At the top he turned and gazed out across the sea of pinkish blossoms. In the distance the tall shape of the palace loomed up out of the flowers like one of the giant icebergs he'd read about, only red and black and much more gracefully created in his opinion. To celebrate his discovery, he set the bouquet down and looped one arm around the trunk of a tree and careened about a bit, spinning faster and faster around it until suddenly -whoosh!- he let go and toppled to the ground. _

_He lay there, laughing to himself, when he felt a light touch on his forehead. His eyes snapped open and he sat straight up with a jerk. A single petal floated lazily down from his head to sit beside him. The prince gasped and snatched it up. He'd caught the first falling blossom of the year! He tucked it into his pocket and leapt up with a whoop of delight. As his cry echoed around between the trees, the vibration shook even more blossoms loose and soon it was raining pink flowers all around him._

_He reached up and caught a handful, pulling them close to take in the special smell only falling cherry blossoms could have. He looked around to his batch of flowers and gasped in surprise. A small twig had snapped off one of the trees somehow and had fallen right on top of his bouquet. The beautiful pinkish flowers made a startling contrast to the others, which were mostly of dark hues, reds and purples and such. Letting the gathered petals pour out between his fingers, Zuko scrambled over to his creation, bent down and scooped it and the twig up. He stuck the pink flowers in the silver ribbon and held it out to admire it. It needed a few more blooms, he decided and set it back down._

_Turning back to the tree he'd spun around on, he grinned and jumped up to catch a hold onto one of it's lower branches. He hung there a moment and then swung his legs up and hooked them around another branch. He pulled himself up to a seated position in the tree and peered around in wonder. It was like being inside a dome of pink flowers! His grin widened and he set about gathering a few more blossom covered branches. Every time he snapped one off the tree he dropped it and let it flutter down to the ground. Soon he had a grand total of nine more twigs piled up below him._

_Smiling triumphantly, he swung down to the ground, landing easily at the base of the tree. He let himself fall into a seated position and pulled his flowers over into his lap. Picking up his humming from where he'd left off, he began to stick the twigs into the bouquet at strategic points. Finally satisfied with his flowers, he set off back towards the palace at a light jog. "I'll put these in a nice place in my room," he told no one in particular. "They'll make it lots nicer!" He smiled to himself again, full of childish enthusiasm. Getting to see the cherry trees bloom was well worth the scolding he knew lay before him when he met up with his uncle._

_He was so happy in fact, that he barely saw someone step out from behind one of the cherry trees in time to bring himself to a halt. He skidded to a stop, leaving wide swathes in the petals where he'd dragged his feet and stood staring at his feet for a few moments, letting his breathing slow back to normal. Undoubtedly it was one of the guards who'd been sent to fetch him for lessons. "I know, I know..." he muttered unhappily to his feet. "I'll head back to the palace right no-"_

_"Why are you looking at your feet?" A sweet and light voice __interrupted__ him. Later, when Zuko tried to describe it, he would find it nigh unto impossible. His eyes shot up in surprise and he found himself face to face with a young girl, possibly even younger than himself. Stunned to suddenly find himself almost nose to nose with someone he didn't know, he leapt back and struck a defensive pose. The girl laughed, a gentle bubbly sound, and she raised a hand to cover it. She was wearing a pink kimono-styled garment with a flowery pattern, Zuko noticed, just a few shades darker then the petals floating down around her. She tilted her head to one side with a little smile. "You're funny!" she laughed again. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she stopped and took a closer look at Zuko. _

_He backed up a step, uncomfortable with a girl, albeit a very pretty girl... he thought, getting so close. The little girl gasped suddenly, her cheeks flaring red, and quickly bowed, her long black hair tumbling over her shoulders. "I'm sorry Prince Zuko!" she exclaimed while still bowed, speaking to her feet. "I didn't realize it was you. If I had I most certainly wouldn't have laughed at you! Please forgive me!" she begged him, her soft voice quivering a little. _

_For some reason the sound of her in such a state of distress upset Zuko and he silently moved closer, reaching out to push her back into standing position. When she still averted her eyes, he smiled and ducked around so she was facing him again. "It's okay. I came out here so I wouldn't be bowed to anyways. It gets so boring!" He smiled, trying to cheer her up. It was true, usually he couldn't stand everyone bowing to him. Yes, he was a prince and he did deserve it he supposed, but people were always so formal with him and no one would ever think to laugh at him, even when he tried to be funny. It made things awfully boring he thought. The girl's reaction to him was a nice change of pace. "Maybe we could be friends," he offered. "Then it'd be fine for you to laugh at me, and you wouldn't have to bow anymore." _

_He waited patiently while the girl seemed to think it over. She twiddled her thumbs a few times and shifted from foot to foot with a ponderous look on her face. "Well..." she seemed uncertain._

_"Really, it'll be fun!" Zuko encouraged her. "We could...oh, I don't know...look at the flowers together or play with the koi," he suggested a few things he thought she might like to do. He certainly liked the flowers and the koi and so he naturally assumed that she would too._

_"Oh...alright then...Friends!" The girl finally agreed, nodding with a little smile returning to her face. She clapped her hands together and then reached out and took hold of one of Zuko's, clasping it between her two smaller hands. "My name is Ajuna. You're the first friend I've met here in the capital," She smiled a bit more, tilting her head to one side with a little giggle. "We just moved here from one of the outer cities," she explained. "So I haven't really met anyone yet."_

_Zuko felt a blush rising in his cheeks. For some reason he felt all warm and fuzzy when she smiled like that. He shook his head fervently, trying to clear it of the sudden haze he seemed to have suddenly stumbled into.**6** "Uh...well...I'm glad that you have a friend!" he finally managed to get out, his head a bit clearer though he knew he still had slightly red cheeks. He was about to say something else- what he had no clue- when suddenly Ajuna dropped his hands and danced back a few steps, reaching into one of her deep sleeves._

_"Here!" She pulled something from her pocket and held it tightly in her clasped hands so Zuko couldn't see it. "It's for you! Because you're my...friend!" she seemed unsure about the last word Zuko noted. Ah well, maybe she just wasn't used to having friends. He put out his hands, cupping them below hers and waited for her to drop whatever it was into them. With a huge grin, she let the object topple down into his outstretched hands and yanked her hands back to cover her delighted giggle._

_Zuko looked down at the small thing and held it up to the light. It seemed to be a rock, like any other he'd find on the ground. What's so neat about this...he wondered as he rotated it in the sunlight. Suddenly, as he twisted it around to see the other side, a gleam of dappled red and green light fell down onto the ground. He gasped. The other side was covered in tiny crystals, all different shades of green and red. When the light hit them just right, they cast little beams of colored light onto the ground. He grinned happily and stuffed the stone into his pocket. "Thanks! It's really neat!" he laughed. "Umm..." he looked about, searching for something to give to Ajuna in return. His eyes alighted on his bouquet and he snatched it up, offering it over to her with a flourish. "Here! These are for you!"_

_Ajuna threw her hands up to caver her gasp of surprise. The flowers were absolutely stunning! __Tentatively__ she reached out to take them from him, words failing her. As her hand closed around the stems, it briefly touched the prince's and he quickly drew it back, his face going red again. Why did she make his face feel so hot? And why did he feel so bubbly? He shook his head, confused about how he felt. It was definitely a nice feeling, he decided, but it was confusing too. Maybe Uncle could explain it later...Uncle!_

_Zuko jumped a little, looking this way and that like a startled deer. "What's wrong?" Ajuna asked, concerned for her new friend. For a moment he didn't respond and she became more and more worried. "Your high-er, Zuko...what's the matter?" she asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. He made a funny squeaking noise at the contact but then he seemed to settle down long enough to explain._

_"I forgot! I have to go train with Uncle! He'll be furious that I was out so long!" he cried, trying to run back towards the palace but not wanting to just leave with no __explanation__. "I...I have to go," he stammered, then wished he hadn't when he saw a sad look creeping onto his friend's face. "Have the guards bring you to my room later. I have some neat things we can play with and some pet koi," he suggested, pulling away but smiling at the thought. "Just tell them I said you could go in. If they give you any trouble I'll take care of them myself!" he boasted with childish bravado that brought the smile back to Ajuna's face. She finally released him and he turned to scamper off, turning to wave at her as he __disappeared__ around a line of trees. With a small, bubbly, contented sigh, Ajuna sank down to a seated position, waving shyly back and cradling the flowers as the dream faded into darkness._

•••

Zuko rolled over in his sleep, hugging the pillow to his head. A smile fluttered across his face and he murmured sleepily, "Ajuna."

* * *

**1**- Just kidding...really, I'm just kidding, so please don't sue me, okay? 

**2**- Okay, okay, I know he's only got one real eyebrow...like with hair and stuff...but work with me, okay! You still get the idea about what I mean...And if I said 'eyebrow' then it sounds like he has a uni-brow!

**3**- He's about...oh say 6-ish in the dream...maybe 7...awww...Zuko as a little kid! Kawaii!

**4**- Fire-Blooms...yep, made 'em up...think Tiger lilies but blood red with metallic yellow and purple bits...really they'd be quite pretty if you think about it...

**5**- Ember-Koi...made them up too...they'd be like normal koi, but bright orange and red and slightly warm to the touch.

**6**- Aww...spring puppy love! So cuuute!

Nyaaa! Okay! That was a sort of confusing chapter to write! And it was a lot longer then I expected! Ah well...I know, I promised less dream sequences, but I can't help it! Aaaanywaaays...it seems that Zuko _does _remember Ajuna...if only a little. Maybe he'll remember more when he reads his journal, huh? Stay tuned for further developments and happy banana hunting to all!


	5. Invisible Fantasies or Daydreaming Nonbe...

**For the Love of Him -or- The Betrothal**

•Bows repeatedly to reader• I'm soooo sorry it took me so long to get around to doing this one! Usually I'm much better about updating...I've been uber busy lately and when I'm not running around like a headless chicken I'm really tired...I'm finally getting back into the rhythm of things now, so I'm gonna try to get back to this a little more. Hope you enjoy!

This chapter is dedicated to...erm...uhh...well, I dunno! Nope, can't think of anyone in particular to dedicate it to! Sorry y'all!

Disclaimer: •Facing down a raging pack of lawyers• Really now, after all these disclaimers, I'd have thought you'd have gotten the idea that I don't own this show! For shame people! I thought lawyers were smarter than this! •Is pounced on by one of the lawyers, all of which are foaming at the mouth by this point• AHHHH! Get it off! Get it off! LAWYER GERMS!

**Chapter 4- Invisible Fantasies -or- Daydreaming Nonbeliever**

* * *

_Dodge! Left, right, righ-OOF! _Prince Zuko suddenly found himself being hurled backwards a good ten feet. He landed hard and rather indignantly and a half sheepish, half infuriated expression slid onto his face as he hurriedly scrambled back to his feet. "Where is your focus today Prince Zuko?" His uncle shook his head at him, one eyebrow quirking in curiosity. "This is an easy drill. Most days you could do it without a single flaw. What is so different about today that you are so distracted?" Zuko just shook his head and attempted to look like he was concentrating as he ran the drill again, perfectly this time. Something was most certainly distracting Iroh's teenage charge today, and though he was interested in what could be more fascinating to Zuko than training, the old general didn't bother to press the question. Even if he had, Zuko wouldn't have answered him anyway. As Iroh mumbled something about tea and shuffled away, Zuko found his thoughts drifting back to the events of the previous night.

•••

After that strange dream with the flowers, Zuko had woken up and found it nigh unto impossible to go back to sleep. Every time sleep seemed at last imminent, some curious aspect of the dream would come back to him, imposing itself onto his mind's eye, forcing him to think about it. Eventually he'd just given up all hopes of getting more sleep and had tried to think of a way to amuse himself for the remainder of the night. At first, when nothing came to him, he just sat back and let his mind wander. Somehow though, it all came back to that dream, though he tried to ignore it.

It was a very odd dream, and it had seemed so real. More like a forgotten memory than anything he could have made up solely in his mind. It was finding the journal that had brought it on, he decided. Dredging up old history must have done something to him. Hadn't Uncle once said that dreams were just bits of what you'd experienced that day jumbled with what you were thinking about when you fell asleep? Yes, that must be it. Concluding this did nothing to console Zuko though, and he couldn't seem to put it out of his mind. Finally aggravated to the point of almost causing something to burst into flame, he had lunged foreword, grasping the offending book in his sweaty hands and yanking it up for him to see.

_I should burn it._ He glared furiously at the journal. _If it's going to keep me from sleeping, then there's no point in keeping it. _Eventually though, his curiosity overcame his ire and instead of toasting the book he found himself flipping anxiously through the pages. The tops of the pages all were dated, and he mentally calculated how old he would have been if the dream had been real, and what year that would be. _Five...Five and a half...Six...Six and a half..._ He thought to himself as he flipped through the corresponding years. Just as he was about to turn to the pages for his seventh year, something small and flat slipped out from the page he had just flipped to, tumbling down to land on his knee.

Zuko gasped, and slipped one hand down to lift the pale item. His breath whistled out shrilly as he gazed at it, a million questions whizzing about in his head. It was the flower petal from his dream. Paler and wafer-thin, but distinctly the same one. "But...how could that be?" his voice quivered a bit, from both fear and excitement. "It was just a dream...it didn't happen! It couldn't have!" He was working himself up into a frenzy by that point, and his hand was shaking so badly that his fingers began to pinch the fragile petal a bit too tightly and it started to crumble. Realizing that he was beginning to panic, Zuko quickly took a deep calming breath and tried to focus himself. He'd never figure anything out if he was worked into a wild rage.

A few minuets of deep breathing later, he set the book down and rose smoothly to his feet and strode over to his desk. He pulled one of its many drawers open and reached in, withdrawing several small glass vials. He selected one and dumped the bits of petal into it. He set the other vials back into the drawer and withdrew a tiny cork and a long strip of leather. He worked the cork into place and wrapped it with the cord, tying the ends tightly and slipping it over his head. "I have to know if it really happened or not." he stated firmly as he spun and walked back to his futon. He lowered himself back down and sat for a moment, breathing deeply again, making sure he was fully in control of his emotions once again. Finding that he was, he cautiously lifted the book from where he'd left it and flipped it open to where he thought he remembered the petal falling from.

Zuko took one final steadying breath and began to read, his eyes darting back and forth across the lines of writing. Every now and then, he found he would need to stop and make sure he'd read something right. He hadn't had the nicest of handwritings at that age, and it was difficult going here and there. Still, the more he read, the more he couldn't help but be amazed. He hadn't opened to the right page after all he shortly discovered, but he couldn't stop reading the entries one after the next for some odd reason. As he read, memories matching the entries began to flood back, and after a while, he noticed he was anticipating what he knew would come next. He smiled to himself as he stopped to flick to the next page. "I remember this now...I must have been so upset when I had to leave that I forgot..." he trailed off, feeling his mood begin to darken. He quickly looked back to the pages, wanting to keep the good mood he'd obtained from them.

Zuko had spent most of the night in this fashion, reliving his childhood through his own written words. If anyone had happened upon him during this, they would have been quite surprised at the strangely emotional Zuko they found. As he read, he found the moods he'd felt when he'd written the entries coming back to him with the memories, and he began to display many emotions that no one had ever seen him display in known memory. Several entries he read about one happy week when the capital had played host to a famous circus full of things that had enthralled him at such a young age suddenly stirred him into a fit of laughter, the likes of which Zuko couldn't remeber ever happening before. Other entries brought the prince to tears, from remembering the day his treasured pet Komodo Rhino had died to an occasion where he'd gotten lost for three days in an unused wing of the palace and was informed upon his return that his father hadn't even noticed he was gone. _Did he really care so little for me even then? _Zuko couldn't help but wonder.

Sighing to himself, he flipped the page, hoping the next entry would be a slightly happier one that would raise his spirits. The entry started out happily enough. It was a week or so since the getting lost incident and the young Zuko who'd written the entries seemed to have completely forgotten about the horrific experience. Only when Zuko reached a paragraph describing how Little Zuko had decided to pick some flowers and told about the little cut he'd gotten when retrieving the silver ribbon did Zuko realize that this was indeed the very entry he'd been looking for in the first place. His eyes widened and he leaned in, as if getting closer to the pages could compel them to be read faster.

Moving closer blocked his light though, and he unconsciously waved a hand to wave a bit of energy at his solitary candle, causing it to roar up and throw off a few sparks before dying down to a suitable light. Now with the right light for reading, Zuko plowed forward through the sentences, racing to get through the entry, to see if it really was just how his dream had been. "Impossible...How could I dream about something I don't even remember?" he asked himself, his forehead knotting in confusion.

He'd reached the end of the entry, and it had indeed matched up with his dream. _So it really did happen...That means Ajuna was real..._he leaned back and let himself topple backwards into the futon's soft cushions. He'd had a friend after all. The concept was totally foreign to Zuko. "I had a friend." he stated to the ceiling, seeing if saying it aloud would make it seem any more plausible. Oddly enough, it did. "I had a friend named Ajuna." he said it again, reveling in the newfound idea. He smiled to himself and sat back up. He wanted to read the entry again. It was his evidence; his proof that at one time he'd had a companion.

He thumbed through the book, stopping at the correct entry this time and began to read it over again. And again. And again. He read the same passages an even six times in all before he knew the words all by heart. With a feeling of accomplishment, he yawned and shut the book, placing it reverently next to his pillow. A quick glance out the window told him that it was probably getting close to morning. He should try to get at least a little more sleep before the day started.

Once he laid down though, he found he just wasn't tired anymore. He rolled over from one side to the other and then tried to lay still on his back. Nothing doing. He just couldn't drift off with the excitement of his discovery buzzing around in his head. "I can't believe I really had a friend." he sighed as he rolled over again, onto the side facing towards the little book. "What was her name again?" he thought for a moment, frowning when he didn't think of it right away. "A something...Ab..An...Ar...damn." he growled the last word as he pushed himself back up. He found he had a friend and within moments he'd forgotten her name? Some friend he was going to be. If he ever got back to the fire capital. And if she still wanted to be friends by then.

Determined to at least learn the name of the girl he'd once had for a friend, he scooped the book up again and flipped through the pages. He was in such a rush to find it, he accidentally skipped it and kept flipping a few entries too far. Realizing he must have missed it, he stopped turning through the pages and went to turn back when something caught his eye. A few lines down one the page, dated a week after the one with his dream in it, was a question that, when he read it, froze Zuko in his seat.

'What's a fiancée?' It read. 'Uncle told me Ajuna was mine. Maybe it's a fancy word for friend. I wonder if she knows what it is. I know! When I see her tomorrow, I'll ask her if she knows about it. Or maybe she'll think I'm silly if I ask. Maybe I should pretend to know. If it is a special word for friend, I should ask her if she wants to be mine. Yeah, that's it! I'll bet it does mean friend! I'll ask here tomorrow when she gets back from Urankaa**1**. I bet she'll say yes too! This will be fun!'

Zuko was speechless, his eyes glued to the page. Ajuna...his fiancée? For some reason the concept wasn't at all surprising to him, and that was what had really stopped him in his tracks. "Why would I assume that she was my fiancée?" he wondered aloud, almost not believing what the journal was saying. But it _had _been right up until now. "And why does that sound so familiar?" And then it hit him. The picture! The one that had fallen out of the book when he'd first went to read it! The caption at the bottom had titled her 'Zuko's betrothed, Lady Ajuna'. That was why the concept had seemed so familiar!

Suddenly things began to make sense. In the dream, Ajuna _had _seemed hesitant to call Zuko her friend. Maybe she already knew about being promised to him then. And maybe that's why Uncle hadn't been upset after Zuko told him where he'd been that he missed his morning lessons. _But no one had told me! No one even asked! _His mind was spinning wildly. _But they did tell you!_ Another part of his mind answered back. _You just read about it! Iroh must have told you after you told him about meeting her. _Realizing that this was right, Zuko dove back into the book, almost tearing the page off as he scrambled to see the next entry. Maybe it would clear things up. "She couldn't really be my betrothed...could she?" he almost pleaded with the book, hoping to see that it wasn't true, praying that she had just been his friend. He couldn't handle the concept the idea was raising. He'd only just managed to accept that he'd had a friend. To find that he'd been engaged to her would just be far too much for him to handle that night.

To his dismay, and strange delight, the next entry didn't disprove the claim that they were betrothed. The entry was short, and the writing jumped about on the line, as if Little Zuko had been bouncing up and down in glee as he tried to write it. 'I'm still not sure if fiancée means friend...but I guess it must because Ajuna said that I was hers too!' was all it read.

•••

Zuko sighed and went back to his training, trying in vain to wrench his thoughts away from the swirling whirlpool of emotions that were warring within him. He'd been too stunned to sleep the rest of the night, and had spent the rest of it pacing back and forth around his room before he'd have to stop and reread the entries again just to make sure he hadn't missed anything. He sighed mentally as he dodged, left, right, left, the correct pattern again. Iroh smiled to himself as his nephew completed the run without error. _He's still distracted, I can tell, but it looks like he's doing well enough without needing to focus too much. That's a good skill to have, if an unorthodox one._

Zuko passed most of the rest of the day in this manner, his body in one place, his mind in another. Somehow he managed to complete his training flawlessly after that first accident even though he wasn't at all focusing on it. He had accepted that he was betrothed- to a point. True, he wasn't sure if he really believed it or not, but he was allowing his mind to wonder about the possibilities. _If I was betrothed, it's probably been called off now that I've been banished..._he thought as he completed yet another exercise and strode away to the edge of the deck and leaned over the edge, looking up and watching a gull swoop by. _But what if it wasn't? Do I really want to...marry? Does she still want to? _He couldn't help but wonder. He knew that wasn't a question he could answer lightly, even in his head to himself, and so he didn't. It was something he could write about in his journal. He'd found some empty space in the back that called to be filled. _After dinner then...I think I'll actually eat for once. _

He smiled to himself as he turned and headed for the door that led back down into the ship. But before he could even take two steps, there was a loud clang and two of the ship's soldiers came tearing out of the hold. They glanced about and when they spotted Zuko, they made quick time over to him. Both bowed before him, but Zuko could tell they were excited about something by the way the one kept fidgeting and the other was mumbling frantically to himself. "Well? What is it?" the prince demanded, slightly irate because of the delay.

"Your highness!" the first one nearly shouted, he was so excited. "We've located the Avatar**2**!"

* * *

**1**- Urankaa- The made-up city where Ajuna used to live before her family moved to the capital.

**2**- Yes! Aang and the others ARE IN THIS! I can't very well leave them out, now can I? Zuko's supposed to be chasing him after all!

Nyaa! Well, that'd be it for chapter 4! The endings a bit wonky, but I'm having a bit of trouble accessing my vocabulary/grammar skills at the moment...Anyways, please R&R! Reviews make me really really happy, and we all want me to be happy, right? •Listens, hears silence• RIGHT? •Cricket chirp• Aww...you guys are mean! 


	6. Conflict Overload

**For the Love of Him -or- The Betrothal**

This chapter is dedicated to...HAV and Scudelia Electro! Neither of whom I own! YOU GUYS ROCK! •Whispering to the readers• Really, they're really good...you should get the Peace Maker OST (don't own it!)...much goodness it is!

Disclaimer: •Hobbles in all covered in scratches and bite marks• Lawyers...EVERYWHERE! I told them I didn't own it, I swear I did! BUT LOOK WHAT THEY DID! •gestures to self• They painted my nails! •sobs openly from the sheer horror of having to wear nail polish• I'm ruined! I can never go out in public again! How will I go to college? How will I buy groceries? •random person walks up and slaps some sense into the hysterical author• Sorry...I needed that. •hands the random person 5 dollars and shoves them off the stage• Now, I don't own the show, so please stop sending lawyers to attack me. Thanks a bunch! And how was the banana hunt going?

**Chapter 5- Conflict Overload**

* * *

A flurry of action erupted on the lone fire nation ship that had been cruising peacefully into the open water just outside the water tribe's territory only moments before. A shrill whistle sounded, causing people to leap up from whatever it was that they were doing and begin to race about, yelling orders to each other. Thick clouds of smoke began to form overhead as the crew added more and more coal to the blazing furnace that fueled the ship's motion. The craft jumped foreward in the water, picking up speed as it swung in a wide arc away from the setting sun and towards the darkening eastern sky. Alone and stoic at the front of the warship stood the fire nation's exiled prince, staring into space from just behind the huge pointed bow. All A golden fire flared in his eyes, though there was no sun to shed any light on them. His entire frame quivered as excitement and fury thrilled through his blood. "Avatar...this time, I _will_ catch you and restore my rightful honor." 

An hour passed and Zuko was still standing there, staring into the distance as if turned to one of the very statues the earth benders would sculpt with their powers. The others, soldiers and crew alike, hadn't neared him. They'd seen him in these moods before and had since decided that it was a preferable fate to leave well enough alone and thus keep their lives and limbs intact. Still, there just was something wrong with leaving the heir to your kingdom standing at the front of the ship in the chilled night air. Even if he was exiled, the soldiers still had a duty to protect Zuko and eventually one of them wandered below deck to locate General Iroh and bring the matter to his attention. A few minutes later, the soldier reappeared on deck with the previously mentioned Iroh and returned to whatever task he'd been doing beforehand.

Iroh shook his head at Zuko's back, a small grin spreading across his face. "He's so stubborn...he'd probably stand there all night if I let him, though it wouldn't make the boat go faster in the least," he sighed as he made for his statue-like nephew. "Prince Zuko," he called as he neared his charge and clapped a calloused hand onto the younger boy's shoulder. Zuko nearly jumped a foot in the air from the sudden contact and whirled about, preparing to launch a fiery punch at whomever it was who'd disturbed him. "Hyaa!" he fired before managing to notice that it was only his uncle. Luckily, Iroh managed to sidestep it with no injury to himself.

"It's just me, Prince Zuko. " The old man grinned at the confused look on his nephew's face. "Come, the chef has prepared us a wonderful dinner and the tea is getting cold." He turned back away from the bow, grasping Zuko's upper arm in an old but vice-like grip. The prince struggled for a bit, wanting to be on deck just incase they somehow came upon the avatar. "Don't worry. The avatar was spotted near the western coast of the earth kingdom. We won't even be near there until tomorrow." Zuko let up a bit at that, realizing his uncle was right and that it would be foolish to stand up all night and then be exhausted when they did find the avatar.

"Yes...I was...excited, that's all," he mumbled, embarrassed that he'd acted so childishly. _I just don't want him to get away again._ He tried to convince himself that he hadn't been too irrational.

"And besides," Iroh yanked Zuko's hair to pull his ear down to an easy whispering level. "The crew might get suspicious...or think you were crazy." He released his nephew and grinned to himself at the troubled look on Zuko's face. "Don't worry, they don't think you're completely insane," he added, trying to cheer the prince up. "Not yet at least." Realizing his uncle was just trying to aggravate him Zuko just rolled his eyes and walked faster, leaving the general behind. He reached the hatch and ducked inside, slamming it shut afterwards. Iroh chuckled to himself. "He never could take a joke."

•With Aang's Group•

"Are you sure we're going the right way Aang? You promised we'd go to the north pole next, and well, frankly this doesn't look like the home of the northern water tribes," A grumpy Sokka asked from the back of Appa's saddle. Aang had yet again delayed the group by dragging them to some other remote island that didn't even show up on the map just so he could ride yet another strange creature that most likely didn't want to be ridden in the first place. And _then _he'd tried to get Sokka and Katara to join in. _Of course, Katara jumps right up on one of those...whatever they were...and goes along with it! She's part of the reason we're going to the North Pole and she's just as happy to make detours as her boyfriend!_ Sokka rolled his eyes at the back of Katara's head. She was gazing avidly at Aang as he showed off his marble trick again. _She's obsessive! I can't believe Aang hasn't noticed it yet._

"Yeah, I'm sure! I just checked the map, and Appa knows where he's going anyways." Aang grinned over at the sulking warrior. "We'll get there when we get there. Wanna see my airbending trick?" He offered up the spinning marble and waved it back and forth.

"Oh please! I've seen that almost ten times today already!" Sokka just grumbled and turned away. "Show me the map again, just to be sure," Aang shrugged and hopped over to the warrior and flapped the folded piece of parchment open, spreading it out smoothly over his knee. He bent close for a moment, trying to pinpoint where they were and then leaned back up with a smile. "Here! This is us, see? And here's where we've been!" He pointed to a thin black line that traced across the map, marking the end of it as Appa. Sokka snatched the map from Aang and turned his back on the airbender again as he studied the sheet of parchment and continued to mumble unhappily to himself.

Aang frowned and he turned back to Katara. "Is he mad at me or something?" the young airbender asked, floating back over to her and letting the marble slow and drop back into his palm.

"No, he's just cranky because he ate all his food yesterday and had to skip breakfast today." Katara patted Aang reassuringly and winking as she whispered, "You know him, it's just how he is. A big airhead with a bad temper!" Sokka growled at the comment and the two collapsed into laughter. A moment later though, they were jolted out of their hysterics by Sokka's angry but worried tone of voice.

"Aang! This map is upside down! Look, that's the coast of the earth kingdom down there on the right and you've got it marked down that it should be on the left! No wonder we're not there yet!"

Aang suddenly found that he was sweating profusely. "Uh...oops?"

•Somewhere in the Capital City of the Fire Nation•

_Left! Right! Punch! _The thoughts mirrored the actions of one of the two sparring young fire benders. The taller one was on the attack and several other benders off in the background were cheering him on. "Take her down Uroku**1**!" One called. "Show her why only men go to war!" Another jeered while flailing his arms around. "Heh, no problem..." the fighter sneered and charged foreward, sensing victory close at hand. This girl was pretty good actually. She'd managed to land a few solid blows on him, and some of them really stung. _I'll just say I let her get a few in to make it even._ He thought, going over his victory speech in his head.

His smirk grew as the girl came into range. Her black hair was whipping wildly about her pale face and an angry, determined light blazed behind her eyes. _She's really not that bad looking after all...Strong too..._ "Hey!" he called to her as he launched his attack. "Wanna go out with me after this? You could hang out with a _real _warrior! Not like that _prince_ of yours...an exiled failure like him probably never even saw battle! He isn't worth you to defend him!**2**" He grinned, anticipating her reply. She would see that Uroku himself was far superior to their long-gone prince and she would answer him yes. It would be a joyous agreement or a thrilled smile he was certain. _No one can resist Urok-!_ "Too slow! You're being careless!" His thoughts were brought to an abrupt halt as she retaliated, ducking low beneath him and them pushed upwards, jabbing her elbow into his ribs, not hard enough to break anything, but with enough force to flip him over her shoulder and leave him sprawled, windless, on the ground behind her.

"Wha..? How did you?" Was all Uroku managed to get out as he tried to catch his breath. At first he wasn't too concerned with her managing to deflect his attack, but as he regained his wits, he could hear his friends laughing without remorse. "Looks like _she's_ the real warrior if you ask me!" one called, bending over and slapping his knee as he continued to laugh. Rage began to boil within the boy, anger that this female had shown him up. "That's it! Now you've made me mad!" Uroku growled furiously as he scrambled back to his feet. The girl seemed completely unfazed by his anger and rather then back down, as he'd hoped she would, she just shook her head and raised her hands into a defensive posture.

"I'll show her. Then she'll really wish she'd never challenged me!" he seethed as he launched a second attack. He aimed a hail of punches at her, each spitting a ball of flames towards her. Far from harm her though; they seemed to be absolutely ineffective. Some she managed to dodge, other she deflected with burst of her own, some she just stood and took though, the fire scattering and dying as it hit her, leaving no damage for all their burning touch. _What? I'm the strongest bender in my group! She should be nothing but ashes by now! _Uroku began to panic when his attacks yielded no results. He poured out more fireballs, his desperation causing him to aim erratically, and only a few of his attacks even went in the right direction. "This has to work!" he cried as he poured the last of his strength into one huge blast of fire, shaping it into a blazing sheet of fire that washed towards her. A drip of sweat trickled down into his eye and he stopped to wipe it out, loosing sight of the girl for a moment though he thought he saw a dark form become enveloped in the crashing inferno.

As the blaze faded, Uroku looked around. His friends had retreated during his final attack and he spotted them, clapping wildly up in the stands. He grinned and waved, calling out, "She should have said yes! Looks like it's too late for that though..." he trailed off as he looked around. _Not a sign of her. _He shrugged, not concerned. In the fire nation, if anyone fell in a sparring match, they weren't mourned. Only the strong were of any worth and survived to greatness, and if someone could be killed in a basic training exercise, they weren't worth the tears in the first place. Uroku shrugged again and took a step forward, already envisioning the nice soothing bath he was planning on having to celebrate his victory. His foot only just touched down onto the ground when a firm hand landed on his shoulder, catching it in an iron-like grip. The owner of the hand leaned close, their lips brushing against his ear.

"Slow _and_ unobservant." The girl's voice reached his ear, a mere whisper, her light breath breezing across the side of his face, sending an icy shiver down his spine.

"But...how?" was all he managed to get out before she cut him off again by dropping her second hand onto his other shoulder.

"Monosyllabic as well...your parents must indeed be proud." Her voice was angry, steel-smooth and as icy as the northern glaciers. The voice somehow seemed to paralyze Uroku, and he stood rooted to the spot, the only things able to move were his eyes. Somewhere, as if from far, far away, he could hear his friends crying out to him, telling him to move, to get away from there, that they never should have come. The hands clamped down, harder, and Uroku gasped as he felt something in his shoulders beginning to crack and splinter and a bolt of lightning-like pain shot upwards to the center of his forehead. "Weaklings like you have no place badmouthing Lord Zuko." This time small tongues of fire licked outwards from her hands, not quite hot enough to burn, but definitely enough to make Uroku sweat. "I'm usually not the violent type, but for some reason I can't help but feel that I should teach you proper respect for our prince," she hissed at him. One of her hands released his shoulder and Uroku automatically raised a hand to feel just how bad off it was. A few seconds later though, he didn't care about much of anything anymore. The girl turned her hand so the edge was angled just right, and delivered a swift blow to the base of his neck. He sagged in her grip, eyes loosing their focus as he slipped out of consciousness.

"There! No blood on my hands to deal with and perhaps he'll learn something from this…You two!" she turned and hollered up at the retreating backs of Uroku's so-called friends. "Take him to get some help. When he wakes up, tell him not to dishonor himself anymore by speaking ill of our prince." She watched as the two slunk down to where they were, and smiled to herself at how nervous they seemed. She backed up a step leaving some space between herself and Uroku's unconscious form, and the two darted forward, each grabbing one of his legs and dragging him swiftly away while glancing back every few seconds to make sure she wasn't going to sneak attack them. _Such jittery people…_she thought to herself and turned to go. _It's not like I was going to eat them or anything..._She shrugged and walked out of the arena, her thoughts drifting to other things.

Across the arena, the two boys took one final glance backwards and let out a sigh of relief when they saw that the girl was no longer in sight. They eased Uroku to the ground and sat down beside him. One tossed a handful of fire into the air, sending out the usual distress call**3** that would alert any nearby healers that their aid was needed. All they had to do was sit and wait. "Man," one sighed, shaking his head. "I told him not to talk about the prince that way. Now that..._she_ came back..." he trailed off ominously, obviously wanting to draw a response from his friend.

And it worked. The second friend's head jerked up and he glanced around nervously. "Who's back? Who was that? I thought that Uroku was really strong. How could a girl beat him?" he clamored, eyes widening in awe.

"You don't know? I guess you wouldn't. You just arrived in the city yourself." The first friend shook his head, as if amazed that this boy didn't know about the girl. "That girl graduated top fighter in her gender group at the bending academy**4**. It would have been her entire age group too, but many of the boys she'd beaten had noble families who didn't want it known that their sons were defeated by a girl. The second friend nodded in agreement. He would want that rumor to be floating around about himself either. He looked back up when the first friend began to talk again. "And what's more, they say she was once promised to marry the prince. When he got exiled, her family called it off. Everyone though she'd gotten over it until about a year ago, when someone did just what Uroku did and she went completely nuts. She pummeled the soldier into submission and then her family left the city, claiming she needed to get away and get better control of herself. She's just now gotten back..." The discussion went on and on like that, until finally a healer arrived and led them all off.

•Back at the Warship•

The morning after they'd changed course to intercept the Avatar Zuko was pacing frantically around the perimeter of his room. _We should have seen them by now. Why hasn't anyone told me that they've been spotted! _He wondered to himself over and over again as he continued to wear down the threads of his carpets in a circular pattern. A few circuits later and he had moved on to punching one hand with the other fist. By the next time he came back to the same spot, he was yelling outright and repeatedly stopping to attack some random object in his room. "Where is he!" he raged, finally having enough and flinging his door open. He stormed into the hall, repeating his question as he went, startling a good few soldiers who were peacefully doing their rounds. Still enraged, he pushed the door that led up onto the decks open with enough force to cause it to bounce off the wall behind it. His uncle was standing near the deck's center and Zuko stomped towards him. "Why haven't we-"

"Ahhh...there you are Prince Zuko! I was just about to send someone for you. We've had several sightings now. I waited until we were sure. I didn't want to disturb you unnecessarily." Iroh had turned about, facing down Zuko with a wide grin. Zuko gaped at him. "So...we have found him then?" he asked, wanting to be sure this wasn't another of his uncle's tricks.

"See for yourself!" Iroh offered up a telescope and pointed to a speck in the distance. Zuko snatched it up, extending the tube to it's fullest and aiming it to where Iroh had pointed. At first he couldn't see anything of great interest, but as he swung the scope about searching for them, he caught a brief flash of creamy fur.

"There!" He refocused the lens, locking in on his target. A simple rotation of the telescope and it zoomed in even farther. He centered it on the one person he'd wanted to find the most. "The Avatar..." he murmured, grinning with anticipation. "This time, you _will_ be mine!" He snapped the telescope shut and whirled about, flinging his arm in an arc towards the flying bison. "Full speed to the Avatar!"

A line of fire benders, the best on the ship, formed at the bow of the boat and stretched back along its sides. "Ready!" Zuko cried, stepping into the very foremost position of the line, right in it's center. Perfectly synchronized, they lifted their right feet and slammed them back down again. "Aim!" A rippling fireball appeared in each bender's hands and they took careful aim. By this point, they were much closer to Appa; close enough to make out the individual riders on it's back. One had a bald head. An excited grin momentarily appeared on Zuko's face. "FIRE!"

•With Aang's Group•

"There! See, I told you I'd get us back where we needed to be!" Aang smiled cheerfully over his shoulder at Sokka, who still wore a grumpy scowl.

"Yeah...sure you did. And you only had to stop and ask for directions three times!" Sokka taunted the younger boy. "Only _girls_ ask for directions!" Katara frowned at that.

"That's because girls are _smarter_ than boys!" Katara retorted, assuming a haughty look and standing over him. From behind her, Aang got in on the fun by sticking his tongue out at the warrior and waggling his fingers at him with his thumbs in his ears. "Nyaaa!" he added as an afterthought, which of course led to a battle of weird faces between the two boys. Wondering why her brother was suddenly making pig-faces Katara whirled around, prepared to ask Aang what he thought was wrong with Sokka. "Aang, why is Sokka...Aang!" she cried, exasperated at the immaturity surrounding her. "Just ignore him Aang. Fighting back encourages him. Don't fall for his...Aang! Stop that!" she implored him when he didn't stop after she asked the first time. "C'mon you two!" She turned back to Sokka, aiming to thwack him and put a stop to his foolishness. "Stop that right now!" She almost did hit Sokka when he kept making faces after that, but just as she swung her arm down he stopped. "Finally!" she sighed and let her arm fall. "I'm glad you seem to have at least some maturity. Hey Sokka?" she waved a hand in front of his face. He didn't budge. "Sokka?" She leaned down; waving her hand right in front of his face, so close she bumped his nose on one pass. "What's wr-"

"Fire nation..." Sokka mumbled, cutting her off.

"What?" Katara asked, confused and a little afraid because of how her brother had said it.

"F-fire nation!" He said again, louder and more insistent. "There! Fire nation!" he repeated, voice building to a yell as he spun Katara around and pointed to the warship, which by then was almost directly below them. Aang turned at Sokka's words too and gasped. He jumped over to the edge of Appa's saddle and leaned over the edge, looking down at the ship. "Uh-oh..." He looked back up at his two friends. "Looks like we're in trouble!" he laughed nervously as several fireballs arced into the sky behind him, missing Appa by mere inches.

((A/N: From this point on, the two lines, Aang's and Zuko's, are going to merge into one. I'm hoping that'll make it a little easier to deal with!))

Down below, Zuko fumed angrily. _They missed! We're right under a huge flying creature and they MISS!_ He clenched and unclenched his fists, trying to release some anger. Anger clouded the mind and fogged one's judgment. Without clear thoughts, he would certainly not be able to catch the Avatar. "Fire again!" he commanded and stormed off. He'd been so anxious to catch up to the Avatar that he'd rushed directly onto the deck with no preparations. "Command the troops to continue firing. Don't let them get away!" he demanded of Iroh and disappeared below deck again.

"You heard the prince! Fire at will!" Iroh waved on the troops, who nodded and continued firing.

High above, very few of the missiles actually connected. Once over the shock of finding the fir nation so close at hand, Aang had leapt back into his seat and taken the bison's reigns. Katara and Sokka both moved towards the very center of the saddle, not wanting to get hit in the ensuing onslaught. "We need to make a choice Aang! Either we land and fight or you get us out of here!" Sokka yelled over the noise of the soldiers below.

"I know! Appa's being difficult! He doesn't like all the fire around him and I think he might have been hit once!" Aang managed to reply, fighting with the wildly thrashing bison. "It's okay boy, really!" he tried to soothe the giant mammal, but the bison would have none of it. He bellowed angrily and continued to flail around, managing to dodge the flying fireballs somehow while making it impossible for Aang to steer. "I think Appa might need to land in the sea. If he got a burn then the water will help. I'm going to let go of the reigns and let him go if he wants. Be ready to get wet!" he grinned to his friends as the thick ropes slid from his hands, easily shielding how nervous he really was.

"No! Don't let goooo!" Sokka waved his hands back and forth as he watched the ropes begin to slip from Aang's grasp, but it was too late. They could all swim very well, but the prospect of being stranded in the ocean with the fire nation right on top of them wasn't a happy one. There was a jolt as Appa, feeling the bit go loose, veered off course and angled down towards the blue sea. All three passengers grimaced and latched onto the surface of the saddle as hard as they could, preparing for the rough landing.

Zuko grinned when the bison began to go down though it nagged at him a bit. Why would the Avatar give up so easily? He'd seen how the bison managed to dodge all but a few of their fireballs, they could easily have flown off. _Maybe they couldn't though...If the bison was injured too severely they might have need to land. _He considered the possibilities as he strode to the edge of the ship nearest to where the bison would land. "They can't out swim a warship. This time we'll have them for sure! Ready the boats!" he commanded several soldiers, who immediately saluted and ran off to prepare the warship's smaller vessels that had been stored below deck. Zuko followed shortly after them. He fully intended to be the one to drag the Avatar into the smaller boats. If anyone else did it, they might very well try to claim that they'd caught him themselves.

Off a few hundred yards from the warship, Appa hit the surface of the sea with a bellow of relief. The cold waves soothed his scalded underside and the slat helped to clean the wounds. The three riders weren't quite so pleased with the landing though, as it had sent up several huge sheets of mist and spray, effectively soaking them through. "Try to hurry him up. A quick dunk will dull the pain for long enough for Appa to get us away from here." Sokka advised, keeping a watchful eye on the fire nation's ship. They'd stopped firing, but he wasn't sure whether or not that was really a good sign.

"I'll try, but it's not like I can really make Appa go. He's smart, and if he wants to go he will. There isn't really any way I can _make_ him fly." Aang said, patting the shaggy beast's back happily, trying to calm him and the anxious Sokka down. There was no movement on the warship, and though he thought he heard a few some things splash into the water, it didn't look like they were planning on anything. "I think we have a few minutes. I don't want to be by the fire nation either, but Appa won't fly if he's too sore."

"I hope you're right." Katara scooted on her knees until she was right behind Aang. She reached out a hand to help him soothe Appa and sighed. "About the fire nation not doing anything I mean." Appa made an odd gurgling noise. Aang smiled and looked up at Katara. For a moment he thought he saw something dark slide around behind the bison but he shrugged and forgot about it. _Probably just his big old tail. _He shook his head and tossed a grin at Sokka before he picked up the reigns again. "We might not need to wait and find out. It sounds like Appa's ready to go again. He might only go a little ways, but it'll get us away from here."

Sokka almost cheered he was so happy. It wasn't like the fire nation to sit by so calmly when the avatar was right by the ship and he was getting very agitated. "Then let's go! Yip yip! Yip yip!" he egged the bison on. "Yip yip!" Aang added for good measure. With a rumble of assent, the huge creature began to move forward, quickly rising up into the air. "Look! He's really going up!" Katara cheered and clapped her hands. "Now let's get out of heeeeerrree!" Her happy cry turned to one of horror as she suddenly felt something long and tough loop around her. She felt a tug and then a more violent jerk from the other end of the rope that had lassoed her. "Aang! Sokka! Help me!" she begged them as she scrabbled for a good hold on the saddle. She found one and both boys came to her aid, each taking hold of one of her hands and pulling back, trying to keep her on Appa's back.

Unfortunately for them, Appa was still rising and when they got a moment to look below they saw that the dark thing Aang had forgotten about was really a small fleet of ships, each filled with at least five fire nation soldiers. They had lined up on both sides of the rope and were pulling back with much more force then Sokka and Aang could hope to. They all leaned fore ward and Aang could make out that the one at the very tip of the closest boat was Prince Zuko himself. It was at that exact moment that Appa, deciding he was high enough, jerked forward, taking off for the continent of the Earth Kingdom on the eastern horizon.

The slack snapped out of the line around Katara and she yelped in fright and pain. "Aang! Do something!" she pleaded with him, a few tears escaping down her cheeks. "I'll try! Appa! Stay!" Aang grunted from the effort of holding her on the boat while trying to get Appa to halt. For once the bison listened and the airbender turned to look at the similarly straining Sokka. "Sokka..." His eyes light up as an idea struck him. "Brace yourself. I'm going to let go for a moment."

"What? Why?" Sokka looked frantic. The two of them combined could barely hold onto Katara by that point. If Aang let go, then she'd fall for sure.

"I'm going to get your boomerang and cut her loose. I can reach it easy from here. You just have to hold on for a minute!" Aang tried to reassure him. Sokka thought for a second on it and then nodded grimly. It was risky, but their only chance. "Katara? I'm going to let go for a second. I'm going to try to cut you free. Try to hold on as tight as you can to Sokka, okay?"

"Aang..." Katara's eyes were full of fear. she felt like her arms were about to fall off, and the soldiers tugged on the rope again, almost slipping her out of her friend's hands. "If...you're sure you can do it." She smiled, trying in vain to be brave.

"Okay then..." Aang took a deep breath, steadying himself. If he was too slow, she'd be captured for sure. "On three. Get a good grip Sokka." The warrior nodded and reaffirmed his grip on his sister. "One...Two...Three!" he released Katara's hand and lunged for the boomerang. He snatched it out of Sokka's belt and raised it up high, preparing to bring it down and sever the rope. It was at that very moment that the fire nation heaved on the rope again, and Sokka couldn't hold her back on his own. Aang watched in anguish as his grip slipped and within a split second Katara was plummeting down towards the ocean.

"Aaaaaaaannngg!" she cried as she fell, reaching out desperately for his too-distant hand. She hit the cold water with a sploosh and the soldiers quickly reeled the line in, towing her towards the boats as they began to move back towards the larger warship.

"Katara!" Aang leapt into the air, using his bending skills to angle him towards her and give him an extra boost. "I'll save you!"

"Aang! Don't!" the avatar was stopped by Sokka's sudden appearance before him. "Why? They've captured her! We can't leave her there!" Aang shoved the stoic Sokka out of his way just in time to see the boats, with Katara bound and in tow, round the side of the boat and the people above dropped lines down to tether them in. Appa had had enough by that point and had resumed his course for the eastern island. "Appa! Stop!" Aang tried to command him, but the bison just grunted and kept going. "We have to go back for her! Stop Appa!" he tried again with no effect. "Appa...please..." he begged, dropping to his knees in defeat. "We _have _to go back..."

"I know Aang, and we will." Sokka kneeled beside the sorrowful airbender, trying to comfort him. "Katara's my sister and I won't leave her there. There's nothing we can do now though. If we try anything, we'll just end up captured ourselves. Sometimes we need to retreat before we can attack." he recited a traditional warrior's saying, drawing strength from it's wisdom, even though he felt close to tears himself. "Katara's strong. They won't do anything to her. They know we'll go back, and that's what they want. I think we can assume she's safe for now." Sokka nodded to himself. He almost pitied Zuko. He had no idea what a handful Katara could be when she was mad. With any luck, they'd be begging for her to leave within a day.

Aang sniffed, seeing the truth to Sokka's words but still very upset. "I-I know. She'll be fine. Appa needs to rest anyways." He rose shakily to his feet and picked up Appa's reigns. A familiar light glowed in his usually joyous eyes. The light of the Avatar. "We _will_ get her back. Yip yip!"

From the deck of the warship, Zuko watched as the bison disappeared in the distance. "Looks like your friends won't be joining you just yet." His eyes flickered to the right, landing on Katara, who was flanked by four soldiers. "They will have to come a try to rescue you at some point though." He let his words hang in the air, leaving Katara to discern their implications herself. "Until then, you will of course be staying with us." He nodded to her guards. "Take her to the dungeons. "One of the soldiers grabbed a hold of Katara's arm and began to drag her off. "Be gentle though. We wouldn't want to loose our bargaining chip." Zuko reminded them.

After the soldiers had gone, Zuko sighed and turned back to the ocean. The flying bison was out of sight by then, probably over Earth Kingdom soil. He leaned onto the edge of the boat, letting his mind wander back along the events of the day. The day could have gone worse, but then again, "I didn't get the Avatar..."

"But you did manage to capture one of his friends. It is certain that he will return for her." Iroh had come to announce dinner and had found the prince alone on the deck. "Do not worry. Now, it is time for tea. Then, I think we should sail out into more open waters." Iroh advised, a contemplative look crossing his face.

"But why? Won't that make it harder for the avatar to find us?" Zuko inquired, wondering what his uncle was thinking.

"Yes, but I don't think we should confront him so close to the Earth Kingdom. They may send reinforcements if they learn we are here. It would be better to face him alone and in the open." Zuko grinned. It was a good plan. He could capture the Avatar without having to worry about the other nations getting involved. A very good plan indeed. As the two disappeared below deck, Zuko did something he'd rarely if ever done before. He reached out and thumped his uncle's back while congratulating him on such a grand idea.. The old man was useful once in a while after all it seemed.

•The Capital City of the Fire Nation•

"Have you heard? They say Prince Zuko's ship was sighted a few days ago off eastern coast of the Earth Kingdom. I wonder what he's doing there..."

"Do you think he could have found the Avatar?"

"No, I don't really think the Avatar is alive. Sure, the priests said he was, but how can we really be sure. No one has really confirmed that it's him after all."

"I guess you're right..."

Just outside one of the shops that lined the street the gossipers were walking down, there was a crash of pottery hitting the ground and shattering. In the doorway of an earthenware store, a raven haired girl stood, eyes wide open in shock. At her feet was a jug, the bottom half shattered on the hard ground. "Zuko...?" she whispered. Concerned, the shopkeeper wiped his hands and worked his way over to her. "Miss Ajuna? Are you quite all right? I can call for help if you've injured yourself." he offered. Ajuna blinked, coming back to herself and looking around quickly. Her eyes alighted on the confused merchant, who breathed a sigh of relief when he saw she seemed alright. "Good, you're fine. I wouldn't want to loose one of my best customers." She looked down at the broken jug.

"Y-yes...I'm fine. Something just...startled me...I'm sorry about the jug, I'll pay for it-" she bent down to pick up the pieces but the merchant stopped her.

"Don't worry. Just get home. It's getting dark, and I know you can handle yourself, but you look terribly pale, and I wouldn't want anything to happen to you."

"Yes sir. I'll be back...tomorrow." She nodded and left, her long black hair whipping behind her. "Zuko..." she murmured again as the sun began to set over the mountains. "I'll find you." she promised him, determination lengthening her stride and carrying her , not towards her home, but down to the docks where her own private boat was. A soldier looked up from the deck as she neared the boat and hailed him. "Be ready to launch in three day's time. We're headed for the Earth Kingdom."

* * *

**1- **Uroku: random guy I made up...supposedly he doesn't like Zuko much and badmouths him in public. 

**2** -Ajuna has been trying to convince the king that he should allow Zuko back into the kingdom.

**3**- Distress Call- think a flare type thing...goes up and flashes in a noticeable and recognizable way.

**4**- Bending Academy- Well they have to learn somewhere!

Gyaaa! So long but I'm done! Yay! No, this won't be turning into a Zuko/Katara fic at all! Ajuna is headed out to meet him now, so we'll see what happens...Will Zuko be reuntied with his forgottec friend/ lover? Will Aang manage to rescue Katara? Why hasn't Momo been mentioned yet? FIND OUT NEXT TIME IN: The Betrothal; Chapter 6, Star-lost Lovers! Again, PLEASE review! Thanks!


	7. StarLost Lovers

**For the Love of Him -or- The Betrothal**

Disclaimer: Of course, I do not own Avatar: TLAB, so please STOP CALLING ME AND ASKING! •waves list of people who've called**1** menacingly• You people...be prepared to wake up one morning with a giant evil chicken standing over you...heh heh heh •evil laugh fades into the background• As for the rest of you, enjoy! And Review!

Me: Hmm...Who to dedicate this chapter to? •looks around• Ah, I know! Katara! Thanks for letting the fire nation capture you! I'm sure Aang will be back sooner or later!  
Katara: •appears onstage, very grumpy• Whatever...Just get me outta here!  
Sokka: •pokes his head in• Sorry about her...she's grumpy this early in the morning.  
Me: Heh heh...So noted.

**Chapter 6- Star-Lost Lovers**

* * *

"Let me out!" Katara screeched at the guards through the small window of her cell door. "Let me out of here right now you fiends!" She began to pound on the metal door, raising very colorful bruises on her hands as her voice began to swell in anger. When the guards just shook their heads and ignored her she growled and redoubled her efforts, attempting to draw their attention with a threat. "Aang will be back for me and then you'll really wish you'd let me go!" she seethed, glaring with rage at her captors.

One of the guards tuned to the other and whispered, "I _already _wish we'd let her go. I can't take all this noise!" The second one nodded in consent, a vein pulsing above one eye. Hearing Katara continue her banter about the Avatar, he finally could take it no longer and whirled about, beating his spear against the door. "Silence waterbender!" he growled, one eye starting to twitch. "We know very well that the Avatar will return! In fact our Prince Zuko is depending on it! He knows he can use you as bait to lure the airbender back and then capture him!" He winced when Katara opened her mouth to yell again but interrupted her before she could get one word out. "I'd stop all the noise if I were you, or there might not be anything left for the Avatar to rescue at all!" He shook a threatening fist at the suddenly unsure waterbender. Zuko had indeed commanded them not to hurt their bargaining chip, but she didn't know that.

Properly scolded, Katara dropped back away from the door and sank onto the hard metal bed they'd provided. She sighed and let her face fall into her hands. She knew Aang wouldn't dream of leaving her there, nor would Sokka allow her to remain a prisoner, but when you were surrounded on all sides by opposition and a literal army of soldiers stood between you and your salvation, even the toughest warrior would start to feel the pressure. "Aang...Sokka...get here soon." she nearly sobbed, the fear that had been lurking at the back of her mind surging to the forefront and overwhelming her. She let herself topple over onto the bed and pressed her face into her pillow. "And be safe!" she cried into it, the words too muffled for the guards to hear.

With visions of all the horrid things that could happen if her brother and Aang failed to save her or themselves dancing through her mind she let herself lie there and cry for a long time. Then, her mind cleared and focused after she finished, she climbed back to her feet and began to circle her cell, already thinking of ways to make her rescue easier for Aang and Sokka or possibly how to free herself should they fail. "The first thing I should do is figure out just what I have to work with." she stated to herself and began to take inventory. One bed made of metal that was so heavy she could barely lift it; A pillow, just a sack full of straw really; a scratchy and threadbare blanket for the bed; a bowl and water pitcher, both bone-dry to her dismay; a bucket off in one dark corner, surrounded by a largish pile of straw and a single candle stub in a dish inside a niche on the wall. "Not much..." she sighed and began to move things around, trying to make the cold room a little cozier, a little more bearable.

She found that she could just reach the torch outside her cell door with the end of one of the long bits of straw. With a bit of effort she jabbed it into the flames and pulled it back after the fire caught and held. Holding a hand in front of it to protect the burning twig, she rushed over to the niche and pulled the candle out, lighting it before setting the straw down in the empty bowl so it could burn out. She smiled a little as the flame grew and cast a warm orange light around the small room. Night would come at some time, and it would be nicer with some light for her to think by.

Until then she decided to set the candle back in its niche and she lifted it up by the dish's handle and carried it back. As she placed it carefully back on the metal of the little ledge, she felt a warm draft of air across the back of her hand. Startled by it, she yanked her hand back, knocking the candle over so it landed on its side partially out of its bowl. Something dark flapped about behind the flame, deeper into the niche then she'd reached. Looking closer Katara saw that it was a bit of cloth, probably blocking off an air vent of some sort.

"Hmm..." She raised a hand to rest against her chin in thought. "If that's a way to the outside of the boat, maybe I can signal the others through it somehow..." Her plan was foiled moments later though, but instead of disappointment showing on her face, a look of first confusion and then gleeful curiosity took its place there. "Looks like it's not an air vent after all..." She chuckled to herself and righted the candle before moving it out of her way and placing her ear at the lip of the hole. Echoing faintly through the metal she could hear the unmistakable voice of Prince Zuko, addressing his soldiers by the sounds of it. "Time for a little bit of spy work!" she cheered then quickly covered her mouth. If she could hear Zuko, he might be able to hear her. When no one came storming down to check on her within the next few minutes though, she turned back to the tunnel, listening in carefully.

•••

"He'll return for her within the next few days. They won't let her be held here for any length of time." Zuko had returned to his room after the Avatar's departure and he was now pacing back and forth before his uncle and a few soldiers. "Make sure there are guards posted in the dungeon at all times. And don't give her any water." Iroh nodded his assent, motioning to the soldiers to make a note of it. The candles lighting the room began to flare up at Zuko's growing excitement. "I don't want her to be able to waterbend while she's on our ship! I promise that if she manages to free herself somehow the one responsible will pay! Now be gone!" With that Iroh and the soldiers took their leave, the general motioning for them to continue on to their assigned tasks.

Back in his room Zuko continued to pace for a while, anticipating the soon-to-be-happening events. "Finally...I'll capture the Avatar for certain this time. Then I'll be able to return to the fire nation." A few minutes later he finally quit of his pacing and sat down, his mind drifting to thoughts of his impending return to the capital. Fanfare and trumpets announcing the capture of the nation's greatest threat and the return of their triumphant prince. Cheering crowds flooding the streets of the city in a grand turn out. He could see himself in his mind's eye, walking confidently towards the gates of the palace, the sea of people parting before him as he led the imprisoned Avatar through the city. Suddenly one person, a girl dressed all in pink with her long dark hair pulled back out of her face, broke free of the throng and ran towards him. He flung his arms wide as she neared him and with a happy cry, she leapt into his open embrace. She pulled him close, tears of joy streaming down her face and Zuko raised a hand to wipe them away. "Ajuna...I'm back!"

With a jolt Zuko leapt back to his feet. "Why would I think...?" He began to pace again, his brows furrowed in thought. Why would he suddenly think of Ajuna? The thought plagued him endlessly. He glanced out the window, just in time to see the edge of the earth kingdom's island drop over the red-tinged horizon. "How could I imagine that she would be there and that she would..." his train of thought trailed off there and he was quite alarmed to feel the heat of a blush rising in his face. He shook himself physically and slapped his palms against his face, trying to cool himself down, but when he glanced over at his small mirror his face was still beaming red. "W-what's wrong with me?" he cried, causing several candle-flames to jump with excitement. He was at the same time horrified that he was reacting to the thought of Ajuna that way and then ashamed that he was horrified by it, and the entire affair was confusing him terribly. "Why does the thought of her have such an effect on me?"

Exasperated with himself, Zuko sighed and waved the candles out. The last few rays of the fading sunlight poured in through his window, illuminating his desk and casting a long shadow where he blocked the light's path. Sighing to himself again, Zuko strode over to the desk, scooping a quill and his journal up as he changed course for the window ledge. He slid the thick pane of glass back and leaned out onto the sill, flipping through the book with no particular entry in mind. Stopping at a blank page close to the back, he stuck the end of the feather into his mouth and sucked on it a few times to make the ink flow. He began to write; not really paying attention to what he was doing, preferring to let his mind drift where it wanted.

Finishing his entry, now a common pastime of the prince's, he flicked backwards through the book for a few pages, rereading the entries again. Even that wasn't enough to keep his mind from going adrift for long though. He kept wondering why he'd imagined Ajuna, especially why in such a...romantic way. He could feel his face flare red again. "Damn...something really is wrong with me." he admitted as he came back to himself and glanced down at the page he'd been idly reading. He blinked a few times at it and then started to laugh, shaking his head in disbelief. He'd unconsciously scribbled a little heart around where Ajuna's name had appeared at the top of the page.

Realizing just how serious the situation was becoming he snapped the book shut and tossed it over his shoulder and flicked the quill after it. He stared back out over the boat's deck, watching the waves go by as he attempted to sort his feelings into a more understandable jumble. "I can't be in love. I don't even know her...at least, not anymore...And it's not like she would reciprocate..." he admitted sadly. With a downcast sigh he backed out of the window and slid the glass shut. He waved the candles into light again and set about preparing for the night. He rolled his futon out and changed into more comfortable clothing before settling down atop his bed with another of the books he'd taken form the abandoned room. He read for a while, trying desperately to pay attention but for some reason couldn't seem to bring himself up out of the depressed mood he'd fallen into. "What do I do?" he asked aloud, wanting an answer of any sort and from anyone. Of course no reply came and Zuko was left alone to work through his confusion. Realizing that there was nothing he could do about his predicament at the moment, and that if he didn't get to sleep soon he'd have yet another sleepless night, he set the book aside and climbed into bed. "Tomorrow I'll have to tell Uncle. He probably won't be of much help, but I need to talk about it. If I don't then..." he laughed tiredly to himself. "I really might go crazy." he admitted and drifted off to sleep.

•••

Katara stepped away from the wall with a perplexed look on her face. She'd heard every word Zuko had said, but it didn't make any sense to her. Why was Zuko so upset about being in love? And since when had the most ferocious fire bender she'd ever had the misfortune of meeting even known what love was? The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to know more about what was going on. "I wonder who it is that he's in love with..." she murmured to herself as she went over to the other side of the cell and took the bucket from its corner. "Someone from the fire nation surely...he did mention her after he said something about going back home." She upended the thankfully empty bucket by her bed and placed the candle atop it.

"It's not really any of my business though," she said sternly as she climbed into the hard bed and pulled the thin blanket up to her chin. She shivered in the mild chill before she leaned over to blow the candle out. "I need to figure a way out of here...I don't have time to wonder about some firebender's love issues." She frowned solemnly and rolled over, curling into fetal position to help keep warm. "Besides, Aang will be back for me soon. Probably tomorrow, and then I won't have to listen to him worry about it either." Her voice was full of scorn for her captor. Still, she couldn't help but pity the banished prince slightly. _He sounded so sad though...so confused. It was like he'd never been loved before. _Soon the ship fell silent and all Katara could hear were the waves on the boat and the rare call of a seagull. The night sounds soothed her and she yawned, feeling herself starting to fall asleep. All thoughts of Zuko and his love life floated out of her mind as she slipped into a strangely deep sleep for being on a fire nation warship.

•At the Fire Nation Capital's main harbor•

"Quick now! I want to leave before the moon reaches its zenith. We need the night's cover for this trip." Down on the docks near a smallish traveling style boat several figures had gathered together. Some wore hoods or cloaks against the chill night air but most didn't bother and thus revealed themselves as sailors of the highest class to anyone who cared to look. It was one of the hooded figures whom had spoken, the shortest of the lot, but one with a voice that brooked no argument, feminine though it was. "Everyone get onboard and ready for launch."

"Right away Lady Ajuna." The ship's captain waved the others onto the boat and bowed low to the hooded girl. "Might I ask as to where we are headed?" he inquired, innocently enough.

"We are heading towards the Earth Kingdom. The northern part." Ajuna replied, grinning when one of the sailors called out that they could launch at any time. "Let's be off. It is a far way we must sail." she returned the captain's bow and almost ran up the gangplank she was so excited. The captain just shook his head and grumbled to himself as he followed her aboard. "Sometimes I wonder what I've gotten myself into, working for her."

Moments later, the long gangplank rose up and was sipped back onto the ship's deck by two of the cloaked sailors and the boat began to move forward through the water, first slowly and them faster and faster. Standing at the very front of the ship, Ajuna pushed her hood back, releasing her long hair into the wind and taking a deep breath of the salty air. "Where ever you are my Prince, hold for a time. I'm on my way," she decreed with quiet certainty. Taking another deep breath she spun about, tossing a friendly wave to a passing sailor and headed below deck.

* * *

**1**- Really, no one's called me...sniff I'm so alone!

Aaanyways...wow, short chapter! And again, super sorry it took so long...writing romance is tough for me! I have to fight not to be overly funny or melodramatic...so please, could you tell me what you think of it so I can write better? In a review maybe? Please people, I'm begging you! Where did all my loyal read AND reviewer go? I think I got at the most, THE MOST, three reviews for the last few chapters COMBINED! So please, I ask you, do me a favor and review, okay? See you next chapter! And good banana hunting!


	8. Captive Swap

**For the Love of Him -or- The Betrothal**

Disclaimer: By now I really hope that no one still think that I own this show. I really don't people! I really shouldn't need to say it again, but for the sake of all you crazy-author/ess-attacking-lawyers out there, I will. I, in no way shape or form, own any part of Avatar The Last Air Bender. I also do not own, in any part, anything I may mention in this story that is owned, personally or corporately, by anyone else. I do claim that I own this story's OCs and anything that is NOT owned, personally or corporately, by anyone else. This may include plot ideas or twists. Any resemblance between the characters/ locations/ events herein contained and any persons/ locations/ events, living or dead, is purely coincidental Restrictions apply, results may vary.

Hurr...time for dedications again...man, I'm running out of noteworthy people...•grumble grumble• how about...I know! All my friends at the avatarfans website! You guys rock! Go Avatar Fans!

**Chapter 7- Captive Swap**

* * *

•In the Sea; East of the Fire Nation•

A small Fire Nation ship sailed along at high speed, skimming through the deep blue waters, kicking up sheets of spray in its wake. A single sailor moved about on the deck, dousing the lanterns that were strung around the ship. The boat dropped into darkness for a moment before the sun crested the horizon off to the right of the craft's bow, bringing it back into illumination. Directly behind the speeding vessel, only the very tops of the high mountain range ringing the Fire Nation could still be seen, mere pinpricks of darkness against the slightly lighter sky. A few gulls winged by overhead, calling loudly to one another in greeting.

"So where to, exactly, are we headed miss?" The captain tossed a look over his shoulder at the young girl he was addressing. She had her head bowed in concentration over her task and she looked up from the maps she'd spread over a table at his gruff voice.

"In all honesty Captain, I'm not quite sure." She turned back to the scrolls and sheets of yellowing paper, pulling one out from another and placing it atop the rest. "Somewhere around here I believe." She motioned to a small sector of sea, just a few miles off the Earth Kingdom's coast.

"Might I ask why?" The captain's eyebrows furrowed as he saw to where she was gesturing. "That would be Earth Kingdom seas. Not a good place for ones such as yourself." he mentioned, curious as to why a noble of the Fire Nation would risk her safety by sailing out of friendly waters. Her answer was slow in coming. "Lady Ajuna, are you sure you want to sail all the way into the Earth Kingdom's seas? Whatever the reason is, I'm sure it's not worth your life."

Ajuna sighed and began to fold the maps back up. Gathering them under one arm she rose to her feet and made for the door. She stopped just behind the captain and reached out with her free hand, patting him on the shoulder. "I can assure you Captain Ikawa. It is a cause I would most certainly risk my life for," she stated firmly but gently with a smile that reached her eyes. She patted the old man's shoulder again and took her leave, heading back to her room.

Once there, she set the pile of maps down in one corner, stacking them carefully in order. She hummed a tuneless song to herself as she walked over to her window and gazed out at the pink-tinted clouds floating by overhead. She sighed, a far away look in her eyes as she watched the sailors going about their daily business. "We're really on our way now." she said, almost in disbelief. "We're really going to meet him." Ajuna could feel her excitement growing. "I almost can't believe it...Finally...after all these years I'll get to see him again!" She pushed herself back from the window and shut it behind her. _With all this energy, I should get some practice in. Yes, I think I'll do that. _

She nodded to herself and went about quickly changing into her training outfit. It was a similar getup to that of other firebender soldiers. She'd had to request it made specially, as there were so few female benders who were actually involved in the practice enough to need battle gear. Her parents had been furious when she'd brought it home one day from the outfitters. _They always did want me to be a delicate wallflower…bleh, what good would I be if all I could do were sit around and look good? _She swung her long hair over her shoulders and swiftly twisted it into a tight braid. _Besides…training is almost fun. I can't see why they would prefer me to just sit around. I guess I'll never understand them. _

On her way to the door, she scooped a ribbon off her desk and began to wind it about her hair, tying it up to keep it out of her way. She chuckled a little to herself when she realized just what ribbon she'd picked up. It was thin and silver, not the usual red one she used. "That's odd…could it be a sign? Maybe we will find him on this trip," she murmured to herself as she slipped out the door and headed down the stairs leading to the deck. Catching a brief final glimpse of the Fire Nation as it dropped over the horizon as she stepped onto the deck, she paused a moment to wonder _Does he remember me at all?_

•At Zuko's Ship•

"Ajuna..." Zuko sighed under his breath as he stared into his morning tea.

"What was that you said, Prince Zuko?" Iroh was looking up from his roast duck with a slightly confused look.

"Er...nothing Uncle. I just..." Zuko paused and sighed again, setting his tea down and steeling himself to do what he was about to do. _It's now...or never. _He fixed his uncle with a determined look. "No, it was something. Uncle, may I...talk to you about something?" The determined in his eyes turned to one of pleading and Iroh was quite taken aback by Zuko's sudden shift in moods. "It has been bothering me for some time now." His voice began to quaver and rise in frantic excitement. "I feel that if I don't talk to anyone about it soon..." his voice cracked with emotion on the last word and he shook his head, obviously not sure what would happen but certain it would not be good.

Iroh stared at his nephew for a moment before trying to answer him. _Something really must be bothering him. Never have I known Zuko to ask if he could speak of anything. I wonder what has happened to cause this change in him?_ A clatter caused him to look down at the table. One of the empty cups had fallen over for no apparent reason. "What?" Iroh queried, too softly for Zuko to hear. His eyes traveled over to his own cup of tea and he was surprised to see ripples dancing across the steaming liquid's surface. He made to pick it up but when his fingers touched the smooth wood of the mug he froze. The cup was vibrating beneath his fingers and it was then that the old general noticed that it wasn't just the cup, but the entire table was shaking!

He looked up to see if Zuko had noticed it and the rare look of pity filled his eyes. Zuko was sitting there in silence, head bowed low and Iroh could see that he was shaking, silently sobbing over whatever trauma had distressed him so. "Prince Zuko, what has caused you such distress?" Iroh asked, moving to sit right next to Zuko and placing a steadying hand on the boy's shoulder, genuinely concerned for his nephew.

Zuko looked up at his Uncle and Iroh was stunned to see he was smiling. Tears were still streaming down his cheeks and Zuko seemed unable to catch his breath right away. When he did manage to calm himself enough to talk his voice was still very shaky and he proceeded slowly. "I...I don't...know what to do anymore, Uncle. It's so strange...I never thought it would affect me so much. I hardly sleep anymore, I'm restless, I can't focus on training...even the Avatar isn't holding my attention as of late. Is this how...it...is supposed to feel?"

Still at a loss as to what the prince was talking about, Iroh gave him a confused look. Zuko balked suddenly, shaking his head and pulling away from his Uncle. Iroh caught his arm though and forced him back to his seat. "Prince Zuko, you will tell me what is going on. I have never known you to become so emotional over anything without reason." Uneasy with his uncle's sudden sternness, Zuko attempted to rise but again Iroh stopped him. "I will not permit you to leave until you tell me why you are acting so strangely! You will tell me now!"

"It's because I love her, alright!" Zuko finally admitted, emotionally slamming his fist down on the table. Startled by the sheer passion in his voice, Zuko froze in place for a moment, still quivering slightly but otherwise as still as a statue. _Am I really that infatuated with her? _He wondered, unsure if such a strong emotion was a good thing. _I've only even known she's existed for a few days now...should I really feel so strongly for someone who might not even remember me?_ He turned slowly to Iroh, hoping the older more experienced man would have some way of helping him.

No such luck. Iroh was sitting there as still as Zuko had been moments before, except that his eyes were so wide for a moment Zuko wondered if they were going to stay in his head and his mouth had dropped open. "W-what did you say?" The old general croaked, sure he hadn't heard his nephew correctly. _I must have misunderstood him. Zuko wouldn't let any emotion affect him as strongly as this. _"I think I must have misheard you. Would you mind telling me again why you are so upset?" Iroh asked, trying to appear as if he really had no idea what Zuko had said.

The price sighed and climbed to his feet. Iroh's grip tightened on him but he shook his head. "No, I'll still tell you. But not here. The walls can have ears." Zuko's voice was back to normal almost. It was still a little troubled, but he sounded much more secure Iroh noted. He rose to his feet and motioned for Zuko to lead. He sighed to himself as they headed out from the room and once he glanced wistfully back at his tea. _I just had to ask him about it...I wonder what he's gotten himself into this time..._

•••

Katara quickly moved the candle from the niche in the wall at the sound of Zuko returning to his room above. All morning she'd been wondering about what he'd meant the night before and she was curious as to whether or not he would reveal anything else when he thought no one was listening. She pressed her ear to the hole and looked over to the door of her cell. No guards in sight, no one to see her listening to an apparently normal, uninteresting wall. She frowned slightly when she heard a second person enter Zuko's room. He would probably be far less open if someone else was with him. "Go away second person..." she whispered. _I want Zuko to talk more...I'm not sure why, but I really want to know what's going on...maybe I can use it as blackmail...?_ Katara couldn't help but plot against Zuko at least a little. He _had_ captured her and thrown her in a cell after all. He was still a firebender; even if it turned out he did have feelings.

When the second person didn't leave, it became obvious to Katara that they planned to be there for a while. "Might as well listen anyways...maybe something interesting will crop up."

•••

Iroh watched as Zuko paced restlessly around his room. "Now will you tell me again what is bothering you?" he asked. Zuko didn't appear to hear him and he kept pacing while nervously thumbing through some book or other. "Prince Zuko?" Iroh questioned him in an 'anybody home?' tone. Still getting no response, Iroh got up from where he had been seated on the floor and stepped into his nephew's path. "Prince Zuko!" he growled when Zuko paced right in front of him.

Zuko's head jolted up and he nearly dropped his book. He'd gotten lost amid his own worries again and had nearly forgotten Iroh was in the room. "Uhh...sorry Uncle. Like I sad before, I just can't stay focused."

Iroh motioned for Zuko to sit and they both sank down to the floor. "Now, what is troubling you?" Iroh asked, leaning forward in curiosity.

"I...I need your help with something." Zuko stammered out. He was unused to asking for advice from anyone, especially advice relating to a topic such as this. It didn't help that every time he thought about the...issue...he would turn a brilliant shade of red either. Even as he thought about thinking about it he could feel the heat rising in his face. _Great...now he'll certainly think I'm going insane. Well, best to get it over with quickly._ He took a deep breath and looked directly into his uncle's eyes. "I need...advice. I need you to help me figure out how to deal with certain...emotions."

"Emotions?" Iroh echoed, obviously at a loss. "What kind of emotions?"

Zuko grimaced as he felt his face go even redder. "Well..." he began, but Iroh raised a hand to silence him. "If your face is any expression then I think I might have some idea of what you are talking about." he said sagely. Zuko winced at the thought of his feelings being so obvious that even his uncle could guess at them. His embarrassment deepened a moment later when Iroh began to chuckle and asked him, "You are in love, right? I thought that was what you said earlier...So who is it? Someone on the ship?"

Zuko made an exasperated sound and dropped his head into his hands. He and his uncle both knew very well that everyone aboard the ship...was _male_. Obviously Uncle was just teasing him, but still, Zuko felt he was under enough pressure as it was just dealing with the fact that he was in love with a girl he'd once been betrothed to. The mere idea that he would become infatuated with one of the soldiers aboard the ship...Zuko shuddered at the thought.

Iroh laughed boisterously at his nephew's obvious discomfort. "Of course not, of course not." he patted Zuko's shoulder reassuringly. "So, who is it really? Anyone I know?" Iroh asked with a grin. When Zuko glared angrily at him he couldn't help but burst into laughter again.

Deciding it was a better idea just to tell Iroh the entire story straight out Zuko tossed his journal over to his uncle and began, "Actually yes...you do know her..."

•••

Katara listened in amazement as Zuko recounted the entire tale of how he first found his old diary and then, upon reading it, re-discovered his first friend. The later revelation that this 'Ajuna' person was not only Zuko's childhood friend but also his intended fiancée surprised her but somehow she expected it. From the way things sounded, Zuko had been alone the majority of his life, and so it was no real wonder that suddenly finding himself in love with someone -a someone he hadn't seen in years at that- would confuse him greatly.

Katara also discovered several other interesting facts about Zuko while she listened in on his conversation with his uncle. Apparently the Fire lord had never noticed him and in an attempt to gain his father's approval, he had done something that had instead shamed him and caused his father to exile him. _Well, that explains his constant bad moods..._ she admitted almost reluctantly. A captive sympathizing with their captor didn't exactly make it easier for the prisoner to escape, but she couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him.

Also, it seemed the reason Zuko was so constantly seeking to capture Aang was that his father had ordered him to do so to prove he was worthy of returning home. At first it sounded as if Zuko was only interested in restoring his honor, but as the prince opened up more and more to his uncle it became clear that now he had other reasons to want to return to the capital. _It looks like he really does have feelings after all...who'd have thought Zuko would fall in love? _Katara smiled to herself as she stepped away from the wall and sat down atop her bed.

General Iroh, after hearing everything, had asked Zuko for some time to think about what he could do to help and Katara could tell from the tone of Zuko's voice that there would be no more information for her that day. Indeed moments later she heard the far-off echoes of him leaving his room for elsewhere on the ship. Katara sighed and pulled her knees up to her chest. As interesting as it was watching, or more listening to, Zuko's developing romance, she couldn't help but wonder about her own situation. Aang and Sokka hadn't returned for her yet. "They will be back though. There's no way they'll leave me here." She sighed to herself. "Aang wouldn't do that to me." she assured herself. _Especially not if he feels how I do about...us. _Katara blushed to herself and looked up at the sound of the door to her cell opening enough for a tray of food -no water though- to be slipped in. _Well until he comes for me, there's nothing to do but make the best of it and survive I guess._

•Two Days Later; Lady Ajuna's Ship•

"Lady Ajuna, we are just about to enter Earth Kingdom waters. Be on guard, we may be attacked at any time." Captain Ikawa stood at the entrance to Ajuna's room, looking about curiously as he spoke. Few people were ever permitted in the young lady's inner sanctum, and Ikawa had never bothered to deliver a message to one of his passengers in person before. After a moment of observation he decided that it wasn't a particularly interesting room. There were a few odd objects of course, but then everyone had their eccentricities he supposed. _I guess she just must like her privacy._

Ajuna looked up from the book she was reading, a worn thick copy of 'Advanced Firebending Made Easy' and smiled happily at Ikawa. "Thank you for notifying me. Tell the soldiers to be on the watch for other fire nation ships as well." She smiled again. _Finally, we're here! I can't wait to see him again...I hope he hasn't forgotten me..._ Her smile turned into a frown and she waved Ikawa away. "If you need me later, I shall be out on the deck. Don't worry, you know me well enough to know that I can protect myself," she added when the captain began to protest.

Ikawa sighed in defeat. "All right then. Just be careful. Your parents will already be angry that I permitted you to sail out this far already. If you get hurt I probably won't make it out of my next encounter with them alive." he grinned at the thought. Ajuna's parents had once been two of the most elite benders in the nation, but so much time away from the war had left them barely able to execute even the most basic of bending arts. It wasn't that they were weak or any such thing, it was more that they were simply out of practice. Ajuna chuckled as well, trying to picture her parents actually attacking Ikawa. No, their power was that of the noble, the politician. They could influence Lord Ozai into action perhaps, but it was very unlikely that they would attempt anything on their own.

"Don't worry about that...lately they've been doting so much on Komomi that they probably won't even notice when I get back." Komomi was Ajuna's sister, younger by only a year. She wasn't anywhere as good a bender as Ajuna and she showed little promise of improving, but since Ajuna's...incident a few years back, they had treated her like the eldest sister, often ignoring Ajuna for days at a time. She didn't really care though. When the time came for her generation to take over the household, it would still be herself whom assumed command. Even if her parents did try to pass the leadership to Komomi, there would still be a duel to decide if the younger sibling was fit to lead the house, which Ajuna would most certainly win.

Ikawa nodded with a smile and turned to leave. Before he'd even touched the doorknob though, a very hassled-looking sailor flung the door open with a violent clang of metal on metal. "Captain! We've spotted a small fleet of Earth Kingdom ships ahead. They seem to be following something, another ship we believe. It was too far away to tell for sure but we believe there was also a flying bison in the area!" Ajuna dropped her book without a second thought and shoved her way past the two sailors, making for the deck with all speed. She snatched a small telescope in passing by another sailor and extended it to it's fullest as she reached the ship's main level. Ikawa followed shortly behind her, whipping out his own scope and aiming it for the tiny black spots floating on the surface in the distance.

After a few moments during which the two silently surveyed the scene Ajuna snapped her telescope shut and turned to Ikawa with a frown. "Follow the Fire Nation ship. Try to catch up if you can. It looks like the Earth Kingdom is planning to attack them."

"But Lady Ajuna! That would only put us in danger as well. One more ship won't win against such a large opposition." Captain Ikawa protested. Ajuna just shook her head and sent him to change their course with a sharp look. She turned to the nearest sailor with a huff and began to issue commands to prepare the ship for the upcoming encounter. As the sailor scuttled away, shouting commands of 'Prepare the ship! All hands on deck!' she turned back to face the ships before them and stepped swiftly to the edge of the boat. She snapped her telescope open again and raised it to her eye. A smile graced her lips and she whispered, almost inaudibly to herself. "I've finally found you...Zuko."

•••

"Uncle Iroh, I want you to ready the soldiers. Tell them not to attack, but make sure they're ready to do so if things get out of hand. I'll return shortly." Zuko snapped his scope shut and turned about on the deck to face his Uncle. "I'm going to bring the prisoner up. Keep an eye on the flying bison. If it looks like it will land before I return, send a runner to me. I don't want to miss this chance at catching the Avatar."

"Don't worry. I know how important this is to you." Iroh smiled knowingly at Zuko who blushed, much to his embarrassment, and returned the smile with a small one of his own before brushing past him and heading down to the prison to get Katara. Iroh chuckled to himself as he turned to face the milling soldiers. _That boy...he's so head-over-heels I'm surprised he hasn't completely flipped over! I suppose I should hope this goes well for him..._ He cleared his throat, bringing the soldiers to attention. "Everyone, as you know the Avatar is on his way. We are going to be engaging in an exchange of hostages, so _do not attack them_. The bison will most likely land in the water aside the ship or remain aloft in the immediate vicinity. Be ready to defend the ship at all times. You should know by now that we cannot underestimate them." He tossed a quick glance over his shoulder as Zuko reappeared leading Katara out onto the deck. "Wh-where are we going? Is Aang here?" she asked, confused when a small ring of firebenders encircled her and led her to the very center of the deck. Iroh smiled as Zuko rejoined him and asked, "How long do you think?"

Zuko took another look through his telescope at the nearing flying bison. "Not long. Any moment now I'd say. Maybe five minutes at most." He snapped it shut and grinned. "This time I will have him for certain. We'll be heading home within the hour." He patted Iroh on the back and headed off to make sure everything was in order, still smirking to himself. Iroh watched him go for a moment and shook his head. _Now we are probably jinxed...but for his sake at least, I hope not._

Four and a half minutes later the giant bison bearing the Avatar and the waterbender's annoying brother on it's back swooped by directly overhead. It circled the ship several times before coming in for a landing on the far edge of the deck from the gathering of firebenders. Unnerved, several of the soldiers made as if to attack but Zuko threw out an arm to stop them. "Wait...not yet." he glared them down. "You three, bring the girl around front here so they can see her." The three benders he had motioned to stepped forward, holding Katara between them as they moved. "Avatar! Show yourself! We have your friend and she will not be harmed if you cooperate with us." Zuko called, watching warily for any sign of motion from the bison's saddle.

After a few moments, the Avatar's telltale bald head poked up over the rim of the saddle. "Katara? Are you okay?" Aang called down to her, worried but smiling when he spotted her.

"I'm fine Aang, but don't give yourself up! Without you, no one will last through the war!" Katara tried to smile bravely but it was easy to see how badly she wanted to get away from the Fire Nation. Sympathy for Zuko or no, seeing Aang again reminded her of just how much she'd missed him and traveling around with Sokka.

Zuko smirked and took hold of Katara's upper arm. He pulled her around infront of him and took a few steps towards the bison. "Come now, you can't believe that. Can't you see how badly she wants to get off my ship? All you have to do is give yourself up, airbender, and I promise to let both her and your friends go."

"Aang! Don't listen! I'll be fine, just go!" Katara pleaded with Aang but when Zuko's free hand was suddenly wreathed in flames and mere inches from her head she quickly silenced herself.

Aang was to have none of it anyway. "Katara, I can't let you stay here." He winked at her. Katara raised an eyebrow in confusion. Aang seemed far to calm for the situation. "Really, you get up here on Appa," he tossed his head towards the bison, but swung it oddly over his shoulder, as if motioning to something behind him. "And I'll go with them. What's the worst that can happen?" Another wink. "I'm sure you and Sokka," Again. "Could rescue me somehow later."

Katara cocked her head in confusion. What on earth was Aang doing. She slowly leaned over, trying not to bump into Zuko as she tried to look around Appa's shaggy bulk. In the distance she thought she could see several dark shape, slowly approaching from the East. _Earth Kingdom ships? Why are they...?_ And then Katara smiled. She winked back at Aang and then twisted her mouth into a frown again. "Aang, I know it's hard for you, but you have to leave me here!" She pleaded, in an almost overly emotional way Zuko noted.

"Katara. This is something I have to do." Aang leapt down off Appa and bowed his head in acquiescence. "Let her go and I promise I'll go with you." He offered up his staff as proof. Zuko raised an eyebrow in suspicion but then, when Aang made no move to do anything else, he shrugged and passed Katara back over to the three soldiers who'd been watching her before.

"Walk towards us, Avatar. When you and the girl reach each other, she will be released and you will allow these soldiers to bring you back here. Understood?"

"Yes...I'll do it." Aang dropped his staff to the ground with a clatter and stepped forward. At the same time, Zuko nodded to the guards flanking Katara and they moved towards the flying bison. Silently the two groups proceeded until they were almost abreast of each other. Out of nowhere, Katara managed to pull free of her captors and flung her arms around Aang. "Please Aang, you don't have to do this." She sobbed. Then, so low only Aang himself could hear it, she whispered, "So what's the plan?"

"Yes I do Katara...I can't let anything happen to you." Aang patted Katara on the back and hurridly murmured, "Just wait...it's all taken care of." The soldiers pulled Katara off Aang and gave her a shove towards Appa. In the same fluid motion they encircled the Avatar and began to lead him back to the others. From behind several stacks of crates and supplies, several other benders sprang up, each targeting Katara. "Hey! You said she'd be safe!" Aang yelled at Zuko.

"She will be. This is just a precaution of sorts, to make sure you don't try anything. Now, have the bison take off." Zuko grinned triumphantly. _We've got him! Finally!_

Watching the benders warily, Aang turned to face Katara and he nodded. On his signal, Katara smiled ear to ear and called out "Yip yip!" and Appa began to rise into the air. Aang glanced over at Zuko with a huge grin. "Nyah nyah!" he taunted the prince and stuck his tongue out at him.

"Hey!" Zuko moved as if to attack the airbender but he stopped just short of landing a punch on the Avatar's bald head. Simultaneously the benders that had aimed at Katara had made odd grunting noises and dropped, limp to the deck. The cause of their sudden unconscious state was obvious. A small fleet of Earth Kingdom ships had snuck up on them, approaching from directly behind Appa's huge shielding bulk. Perched atop each ship was a crew of at least 30 benders and soldiers. Zuko quickly counted the opposing crafts. _1,2,3...5 in all...bad odds...how did they sneak up on us?_ Aang, still grinning stupidly, caught his attention. "You!" Zuko hissed in a rage. "You planned this!" He aimed an accusing finger at the airbender.

"Yep! Sure did! Looks like you guys are the ones that we'll be capturing this time!" With that Aang leapt up and over his guards, knocking the heads of two together on his way. He ran to the edge of the ship and before Zuko could do anything to stop him, threw himself overboard and onto one of the lower-riding Earth Kingdom ships.

"No! He got away again!" Zuko started to give chase, fully intending to jump ship in pursuit of his intended captive but he was brought up short by Iroh's outstretched hand.

"Prince Zuko...I don't think now is such a good time for that." Iroh chuckled nervously. Zuko looked around. Within moments, the Earth Kingdom soldiers had boarded their ship and Zuko's twenty or so soldiers had been defeated and were lying scattered about the ship's deck. A semicircle of earthbenders, plus the warrior boy from the Water Tribe, had cornered them at the edge of the boat.

"Give yourself up, Fire Nation Prince. You are surrounded and have no chance of escape." Realizing there really was no way out of the situation, Iroh held his hands out for them to be shackled. When Zuko just glared at them, the old general gave him a hard jab in the ribs. "Do it. You'll never catch the Avatar if they kill you here." The benders inched closer, each pulling a handful of jagged-edged rocks from their pockets. One took a pair of shackles from his belt and snapped them onto Iroh wrists. "Really Prince Zuko, if there was another way, I'd mention it. But seeing as there isn't, I think you really should just go along with them."

Zuko retreated a step, desperately searching for any possible escape route. His uncle was right though. Other than go overboard while fully clad in armor, there was no way he'd be able to escape. If he _did_ opt to jump overboard though, he'd sink like a stone. He sighed in defeat. _Nothing for it then I guess...looks like I underestimated him...again..._

He held out his hands and within seconds found them bound. "Move along now. And no bending!" One of the Earth Kingdom soldiers shoved him from behind, prodding him into moving. Sokka sneered at the two captives from atop Appa's back. He'd climbed back aboard after he was sure that Zuko wasn't going to resist capture and he couldn't help but gloat a bit at the fallen prince's state. "Well look who's the captive now! How do you like being taken away from your friends, huh?" He stuck his tongue out at Zuko, not seeing him wince at the mention of friends.

Katara slapped Sokka on the back of the head. "Ow! Hey, what was that for?" Sokka rubbed the sore spot forming on his head.

Katara glanced over at Zuko, who had just stumbled after being shoved again. "I just think it's rude to tease people. Zuko wasn't too bad to me after all."

Aang and Sokka both stared at her. "Katara, are you sure you didn't get brainwashed or something?" Aang poked at her head.

"You do realize that you're sympathizing with a firebender, right?" Sokka asked in disbelief. "I mean, he's from the Fire Nation! Why shouldn't I pester him a little?"

"I...I don't know." Katara shrugged. "I guess it's just not very nice. If you tease him, you'll only sink to his level. Lower even. Like I said, it wasn't completely terrible." She shot the two boys a look that clearly said 'I know something you don't know!'. Both Sokka and Aang quirked an eyebrow in curiosity but she just grinned and said, "Later."

Down below, a cry went up from one of the Earth Kingdom ships. One man perched atop a tall pole was waving his arms about, telescope in hand, and pointing wildly to the north. "Another ship! Another ship!" he yelled, urging the soldiers below to quickly scuttle back to their own boats, dragging the unconscious men from the Fire Nation behind them. Even if they did have enough people to take out the second ship, it seemed that the Earth Kingdom was opting to flee rather than fight. Knowing Zuko, he would probably manage to escape in the confusion somehow. Indeed, he had already slipped away from his guards and was attempting to get a good look at the approaching Fire Nation ship.

"Uncle...who is that?" He looked to Iroh, who had also gotten free and stood at his shoulder.

"I'm not sure. I am not familiar with the markings on it." Iroh frowned. He knew almost everything there was about the different kinds of boats their nation had deployed in every part of the world and this one didn't fit the pattern. Neither of them got time to wonder about it for very long though. The ship they were on began to move, slowly at first and then faster, heading back to the Earth Kingdom. At that point, the guards seemed to finally notice their charges were missing and quickly located them, hurriedly leading both below and to their cell.

When the guards had locked them in a left Zuko looked around their cell in dismay. It was wood of course, but it seemed to have some sort of finish on it that resisted fire. _Specially designed for us of course. _He thought cynically. "Uncle...what do we do now?" Zuko asked, utterly at a loss. He'd never been in this sort of situation before and it greatly unnerved him. _Can't miss the irony though..._ his cynic side continued.

"We wait. Somehow or other we will escape." Iroh grunted as he sank to the floor, finding a comfortable position after a few moments. "Once we reach the Earth Kingdom, we may be able to steal a ship and make our get away."

"Maybe that other ship will follow us..." Zuko wondered aloud as he dropped into a seated position beside his uncle.

"Maybe..." Iroh commented, doubtful but trying to remain optimistic. "Until then though, all we can do is sit and wait."

•••

"It looks like we were too late, miss. The ship is completely deserted. The crew thinks that anyone aboard here was probably taken captive by those Earth Kingdom ships we saw earlier." Ikawa glanced at Ajuna. _She seems very upset about something here...unusually so._ Ajuna hadn't moved from the instant she'd finished inspecting the abandoned ship. She'd taken one good look around and then had ordered the sailors to return back to their own ship. Once they'd left she'd simply stood there, staring into the distance with a look full of sorrow and anger. Beginning to feel uneasy with the entire situation, Ikawa spoke up again, "Lady Ajuna, perhaps we should head back to the Fire Nation. If ships are being raided in this area it would be a bad idea for us to stay very lon-"

"We will not go back." Ajuna stated firmly, wheeling about to look the captain squarely in the eyes. "We will follow them. This ship was the one I was looking for and I will not go back until my business with them is complete." She then crossed back over to her own ship and headed below deck, cutting off any chance Ikawa would have had to try and change her mind.

He shook his head as he clambered back aboard their own boat and headed up the stairs to the bridge. _What could be so important? _He wondered as he turned the ship to face where the Earth Kingdom ships had headed for. _Whatever it is, it must be very important to her, that much is for sure._ He called down the message-pipe**1** for the sailors to stoke the fires that moved the ship and they slowly inched forward in the water. As they picked up speed, he sighted Ajuna back on the deck. She was staring off the ship's bow, sheer determination etched into every feature of her face. Her lips moved briefly, as if she was talking to herself, but it was too far for Ikawa to make it out.

"Just a little longer..."

* * *

**1**- message-pipe...can't think of what it's called...the thing they yell in that lets the people below deck hear them!

Cliffhanger! What ever will become of Zuko? Will Ajuna save him in time? Or will the Earth Kingdom devise some punishment for the prince before he has a chance to get away? And what will Katara do when she learns of Lord Ozai's newest plot? Could she be willing to go against her own brothers wishes to help Zuko reunite with his long-lost love? All these answers and more, next time in...wait, I haven't named the next chapter! I guess you'll just have to trust me then! Please review...and happy banana hunting!


	9. Revelations

**For the Love of Him -or- The Betrothal**

Disclaimer: Okay, I'm tired of writing these disclaimers. For all you lawyer-people out there, go back to any of my previous chapters to get the 'I don't own' stuff! ...Well, just as a precaution...I don't own Avatar, the writers and people at Nickelodeon do I guess...much as it pains me to admit it. I own all the OCs and stuff like that though, so please don't take them and blah blah blah blah blah blah.

Okay! This time I have somebody to dedicate this to! This chapter is for Mattie and Cala! Thanks sooooooooooooo much for always reading my stuff and helping me figure out what to do with it! I never would have figured out how to do that plot twist without you, Mattie! And extra thanks for bugging me to get to work Cala! Domo arigatou gozaimasu! Oh, and here! •hands you both a shiny Avatar trophy• Enjoy!

The rest of you out there don't get anything...but you can still enjoy the story anyways, okay? Good! AND REVIEW DARNIT!

**Chapter 8- Revelations**

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_Three days_. Zuko sighed grumpily and scorched another tally mark onto the stone wall. _Three days, and not a word from anyone outside this cell_. He sighed again, looking about the room -it was starting to look all too familiar now- to see what his uncle was up to. The answer was nothing of course. The old man was sitting off in a corner with a cup of tea, supposedly meditating, though the occasional snore from his direction marked otherwise. Zuko grumbled to himself and climbed to his feet. _How long do they intend to keep us here?_ he wondered as he began pacing about the circular room. _We haven't heard anything since we got off that ship and they put us here! Is three days not enough time for them to decide what to do with us? If we were back in the Fire Nation something like this would have been finished immediately! Are people in other lands so indecisive?_

Zuko lashed out at a nearby chair in annoyance. The dry old wood cracked and splintered under his assault and several bits of wood went flying, a few hitting the back of Iroh's head, knocking him unceremoniously into his tea. Obviously unconcerned with his now tea-soaked state, the old general snored even louder. "How can you sleep when we are being held captive in enemy territory?" Zuko demanded of his slumbering uncle, amazed that the thought would even cross his mind.

Zuko himself had barely gotten any sleep during their stay in the Earth Kingdom. True, he would occasionally find himself nodding off, but that usually happened only when Iroh was fully awake, ready to wake him if anything should happen. That somehow the old man was comfortable enough to sleep deeply at all was incredulous to Zuko. He growled to himself in annoyance and continued pacing around and around their circular cell. Over an over again he replayed the events of three days ago. _Where did the plan flaw?_ He wondered to himself, biting his lower lip in concentration. _Did we not get far enough out to sea perhaps?_ _Or maybe we let our guard down too much... _Zuko's face contorted in anger at himself. _I should never have believed the Avatar would come peacefully like that! I was too arrogant, too sure of myself again!_ He let out an angry roar, ashamed that he had failed once again. Tongues of fire leapt off of him, filling the room with an angry reddish light. Several small plants that had managed to grow in the stifling room burst into flame, unable to withstand the heat Zuko was giving off.

Enraged, he grabbed another chair by it's legs and was just about to send it crashing into a wall when the very portion of earth he'd been aiming at suddenly melted away, revealing a stunned Katara and several earthbenders. They stared in at the bizarre scene lain out before them. The old general asleep on a table in a corner with hot tea spilled all down his front and bits of wood lodged in his hair; several plants scattered about the room, each burning cheerfully like a little torch; the various burn and scorch marks on the wall opposite them, and at the center of it all, a wild-eyed Zuko clutching a chair that was slowly beginning to smolder above his head with such a look of stunned confusion on his face that it almost caused Katara to burst out laughing.

Zuko quickly sat the chair down and sat down in it, crossing his arms in an attempt to re-impose his usual cold and aloof attitude. It didn't really work, and Katara had to actually cover her mouth to stifle the giggle bubbling up from inside her. When Zuko noticed this, his look of false aloofness turned to one of real annoyance, which quickly silenced the waterbender. Coughing to clear her voice, she motioned for Zuko to stand. "Uh...you'd better come with us then. And bring him." She pointed to the still slumbering Iroh.

Zuko was worried in spite of himself. The earthbenders were watching him with a look he couldn't fathom and for some reason that unsettled him. He hurriedly went to rouse his uncle in an attempt to shift their eyes from himself. After a few moments of shaking Iroh back and forth and repeated calls of 'Iroh, get up!' the general finally managed to stir himself. Not even noticing his disheveled state, he stood and joined Zuko, looking around and taking their guests in. "Have you finally decided what you plan to do with us?" Zuko asked, feeling the guards watching him again.

Katara's amused look changed to one of worry for the prince, something that shocked Zuko and told him more than he'd expected to know. Something had happened during their imprisonment. Something that concerned not only the Earth Kingdom, but himself as well. _What could concern the both of us enough to worry her?_ Zuko wondered, his unsettled look mirroring his uncle's. Seeing their faces, Katara just shook her head and motioned for them to follow her. "There's something we need to...discuss...with you. Please, don't try anything." she called back over her shoulder. Zuko and Iroh shared a look and then followed after her, the guards falling in behind them.

•Flashback to Three Days Ago•

"So what do you suppose we do with them?" A soldier asked after shutting the captured Fire Nation-ers in their earthen cell. He looked back and forth between the three children walking back through the hallway, only slightly ahead of him. Though he was obviously slightly disconcerted with having to ask mere children for orders, one of them _was_ the Avatar. If anyone would know what to do with them, he would. With an expectant look, the soldier turned to face the little airbender. Aang looked thoughtful for a moment and opened his mouth to say something. Unfortunately, before he could even get one word out, Sokka broke into the conversation, his boisterous, slightly irritating voice echoing around in the empathy hallway.

"I say we keep them shut up in that cell until the war ends! That should teach them to mess with us!" He punched the air triumphantly, grinning in a gloating way, the thought of keeping the crowned prince of the Fire Nation prisoner being a pleasant one for him.

Aang shook his head at Sokka. "Nah, we can't do that!"

"Awww! Why not?" Sokka looked indignant, irritated with Aang for spoiling his idea.

"Because that would be sinking to their level." Aang said sagely as they rounded a corner, entering into one of the building's many large meeting-style rooms. "And besides, we can find a better use for them. Look at the map here." He motioned to a large map laid out across one of the nearby tables. The other three stopped walking and gazed down at it, intent as to what the Avatar would say. "Look here." He pointed to a small brownish marker on the coast of the continent. "This is the Earth Kingdom's troops. We're here too. Now look here." He pointed to several red markers. They seemed to form and odd pattern of sorts, flowing in at intervals across the charted seas and fanning out across the Earth Kingdom. Several smallish markers -meaning smallish groups of fighters- had only that day been placed in the vicinity of the larger brown marker. "These Fire Nation troops have just entered the area. It's great timing if you ask me." Aang smiled and looked over to see if the others were following him so far.

"Great timing? What do you mean? The last thing we need is firbenders around now!" Sokka was livid, almost frantic, and he kept fidgeting, as if anxious to go and see whether or not there really were troops there. And if there were, he would most certainly want to fight them.

"Yes, I'm not quite sure what makes that such a good thing." Katara just looked concerned. The soldier remained silent still, but he nodded in agreement with both Katara and Sokka's statements. After a moment Katara continued. "This could be bad you know. When the Fire Nation finds out we have Zuko..." But there she trailed off, a sudden understanding look coming into her eyes. "Oh! I see now!"

Sokka looked back and forth from his sister and Aang repeatedly, trying to figure out what it was that they both seemed to grasp so easily. "What?" he finally blurted out, "What's so clear now?" Aang and Katara shared a laugh at the warrior's expense. Of course, that just made him madder that he didn't understand and he attempted to put on his 'I'm the oldest, so you'd better tell me' look. When that just made his friends laugh even harder, he gave way to pouting, stomping his foot and demanding, "C'mon you guys! I want to know!"

Still laughing at Sokka's behavior, Aang finally shrugged and admitted, "Well, he's Lord Ozai's son, right? The soldiers probably wouldn't want to hurt him. And if they know we're holding him here, yes it _might _make them attack, but I think it's much more likely that they won't really do anything. If something happened to Zuko then there wouldn't be anyone left to take over the Fire Nation after Ozai."

Understanding finally dawned on Sokka. "I get it! They won't be able to attack, because they might hurt Zuko! So if we keep him here it'll be a sort of shield against the Fire Nation, right?" Sokka looked around at the others for their agreement.

"Yes, Sokka, something like that." Katara patted him on the shoulder. Out of nowhere, her happy smile turned to a slight frown. Suddenly it seemed, something had started nagging at her. Something important about Aang's idea. _But what was it? _She couldn't quite remember, though she had the feeling it wasn't anything good. Before she could spend too much time dwelling on it though, Aang motioned that he'd thought of something else too.

"I know! We could even use him as a-"

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, mighty Avatar, but it is getting late, and it would probably do the three of you good to get something to eat and then maybe some sleep." The soldier interrupted after glancing out a window and spotting the suddenly night sky. "You can continue your discussion tomorrow if you'd like. I would be happy to bring along a few of the commanders of the troops to see if there's anything they can do. For now though I think it would be best if you go relax a bit." he insisted further after Sokka let out a huge yawn.

"Well, I suppose we should get some sleep. Today was pretty exciting, huh?" Katara was still a little worried about whatever it had been that was bothering her, but the thought of food and a nice bed pushed the thought from her mind. "C'mon you guys, lets go get something to eat!"

"Yeah, now you're talking!" Sokka was excited again, the thought of food causing him to almost dance on the spot. "Let's go! Let's go!" he cheered. Katara just rolled her eyes at him.

Aang was pouting a bit. "Awww...but my plan!" he protested. "I really wanted to hear what you guys thought of it..." he trailed off, looking down at his feet.

"Don't worry Aang, we'll hear it tomorrow! And besides..." she hurriedly whispered something to the soldier, who nodded and then left for the dining area at a very fast walk. "...I hear they have _custard tarts._" She grinned as she said that, watching as Aang went from pouty kid to, well, franticly bouncing around kid.

"Custard tarts! Well what are we still standing here for? Let's go!" He took both Katara and Sokka by their arms and ran after the soldier, dragging them unceremoniously behind him in his rush to get to the tarts.

"Hey, are there really custard tarts here?" Sokka whispered to his sister, a doubtful look on his face.

"Well..." She glanced at the soldier as they passed him up. He gave a feeble sort of thumbs up. "I really hope so, for our sake at least."

•That Night•

Katara yawned as she climbed into bed. Across the room Aang and Sokka did likewise, Aang pulling back his covers while Sokka just flung himself facedown on top of his mattress. "Those really were some great tarts..." Aang mumbled half to himself as he dropped into bed, asleep before his head even hit the pillow. Sokka had passed out of the realm of consciousness moments ago and his already-loud snores were soon accompanied by Aang's softer, but definitely audible snored_ It will be a wonder if I can sleep at all with the noise they're making._ Katara thought grumpily to herself as she slipped in between the sheets and rolled the soft blanket up to her chin. _I'd have to be either dead tired or deaf to sleep with them in the same room._

Of course the young waterbender was far more exhausted then she thought, and being in a real bed for the first time since they'd stopped over at Omashu she soon found herself drifting into a deep sleep. Her last fleeting thought before her own sigh-like snores joined her friends' was that she still hadn't been able to think of whatever it was that had bothered her about Aang's idea. _Ahh well...I can't be too important...or else...I would have...remembered...it..._

•••

The next morning Katara was up long before any of the others. Her sleep had been disrupted all through the night by haunting dreams of capture and fire and war. She shuddered as she thought of it, both cold in the morning chill and unnerved about her nightly visions. The dreams had been strangely clear, like they were actually happening, and they had none of the usual bizarreness and fuzzy shades of her common dreams. Strangely enough though, none of them were about her, or even Sokka or Aang as one would have thought. Instead each had focused on Zuko. _Why would I dream about Zuko?_ Katara wondered to herself as she stared out a window at the newly risen sun. _What could be so important about him that I would have dreams about it?_

As Aang and Sokka began to stir, one dream in particular jumped to the front of Katara's mind, pushing all other thoughts away. It had been one of the more horrifying dreams, and seeing it replay in her mind's eye Katara had to clap a hand to her mouth to stop herself from crying out.

_Katara stood in the middle of a dark field, surrounded by nothing but blackness. The huge towers of Bai Sing Sei, Katara's mind's own rendering of them, loomed suddenly up out of the pitch-dark night. The walls of the city glowed an eerie flickering red and Katara realized the light was not cast by the sun or moon, neither of which were present, but from the very city itself. The wall glowed brighter and brighter, nearly blinding Katara, and then with a flash, a huge pillar of flame roared up from the very heart of the town, tearing its grand towers asunder._

_Fire spread from rooftop to rooftop, somehow burning the stone of the city. A huge dark figure loomed up over the city as it crumbled to the ground. The figure laughed, a cold, evil laugh that shook the very earth and sent Katara into convulsions of fear. The great form's hands spread wide over the remains of the city and slammed down, flattening what was left of the Earth Kingdom's capital into dust._

_Out of the corner of her eye, Katara thought she saw a form slip out of the darkness, moving to stand even with her, staring at the great monster -it could be nothing else, it had such an evil aura- in horror. "F-father...what have you done?" The figure asked in the voice of none other than Prince Zuko. A flicker of light from the eyes of the creature, which suddenly appeared as a giant, monstrous man, cast a brief light on the distraught prince's face. He looked on in terror at the destruction and havoc the being that he had once called father had wrought on the city. "I knew you meant to defeat them, but this...this is slaughter!" he cried, stepping forward in anger. "You could have easily taken the city without killing everyone!"_

_The great beast of a man threw back its head and laughed, it's vile voice rolling over the empty land in waves powerful enough to knock Zuko to his knees. "Heh heh heh...you always were a weak child! Too soft for your own good!" The creature hissed, eyes blazing angrily at Zuko. "Now the war is over...I no longer need the Avatar." The red eyes narrowed and a wicked grin spread across the man's face at the stricken look of the boy on his knees before him. "Yesss...I no longer need the Avatar...and I no longer need **you**. Finally I can be rid of you once and for all, and clear the name of the Fire Lord of all weakness!"_

_The thing that had once been Zuko father lunged forward, it's great hand catching the frozen Zuko in its mighty grip and squeezing him tight. The fallen prince let out a cry as the fist squeezed tighter, threatening to crush him in its grip. "P-please Father!" The claws squeezed tighter and Zuko gasped as he felt an arm crack and shatter against the great pressure. "Please! I did not mean to be weak!" The fist tightened again and Zuko nearly swooned as first his second arm and then several ribs snapped. Somehow he managed to keep a hold on his consciousness thought tear were streaming freely down his face from the pain. "I meant you no disrespect! I did not mean to shame you! Forgive meeeeaaauuugghhhh!" he begged, his plead turning to a scream of horror midway through as the demonic man finally tired of his game and squeezed the broken prince with all his might, crushing him like a fragile glass doll._

_Katara could only watch in horror as the man's form shifted to that of something so horrid she couldn't even give a name to it. With a roar of triumph, the thing cast Zuko's body to the ground, laughing as it bounced against the hard earth and then lay still, bent in many places at terribly wrong angles. The last thing Katara could hear as she slipped out of the dream was the horrible monster's laugh, echoing over and over across the ravaged land..._

Katara shook herself, finally free of the dream's clutches. She looked around blankly for a few moments, trying to recall where she was. She nearly jumped out of her skin when a voice from behind her asked, "Katara? Are you okay?"

"Eeek!" she yelped, throwing her arms over herself as a protective shield. "S-stay back you monster! I'm warning you...I-I'm a waterbender, you hear?" She attempted to sound brave, though the faint quiver in her voice gave her away.

"But Katara, it's just me! I-"

"No! Stay away!" she cried again, scooting away from her would-be-attacker and sending a vase of flowers toppling from its stand, spilling the water on the floor around her.

"Katara! Calm down! I'm not trying to hurt you!"

Panicking now, Katara's eyes lit upon the spilled water. With a quick motion, she lifted it and flung the liquid over her shoulder, hoping she had decent enough aim to hit her mark. "I saw what you did to Bai Sing Sei!" Her voice shook with anger, images of the flaming city dancing across her vision. Through her connection with the water, she felt it hit whomever it was that she believed to be attacking her. "I saw it! All of what you did!"

"Ow! Katara! Quit it!" She suddenly felt her control over the water slipping away, as if a much stronger bender was trying to wrestle it away from her. She held on with all her might, but within mere seconds the liquid sloshed to the ground against the far wall. She felt two small hands encircle her wrists, though they felt half claw-like in her partially dreaming state.

"Let me go! I saw what you did..." Her angry plea quieted as she came back to herself enough to open her eyes. "What...you did..." _To Zuko... _She thought the last bit, shuddering uncontrollably at the horrid image the idea conjured. Tears came to her eyes, blurring her sight for a moment before the person before her wiped them away. Blinking back the tears that still wanted to escape her, she saw Aang standing just inches before her; worry filling his eyes to the point of tears. She could see the angry red mark here the water had hit the side of his head too. Aang slowly eased her to the floor when she began to cry again, this time in regret for hurting him. "Oh Aang..I'm so sorry...I don't know what happened...I was dreaming...and the fire..." She found she couldn't go on and let herself sag into Aang's arms.

He patted her head quietly, running his thin fingers through her hair to comfort her. "It's okay Katara, it was just a dream. I'm here, no one can hurt you."

For the next few moments Aang continued to soothe Katara until she was able to, with a final snuffle, wipe her eyes and climb to her feet. She offered Aang, whom had also pushed himself up to stand beside her, a small smile and then reached out to offer him a warm hug. "Thanks for comforting me. I'm okay now, thanks to you." She squeezed him a bit tighter for just a second before releasing Aang almost fully out of her embrace. She smiled widely at the confused look on his face. True, they had hugged before, but he could tell something was different about this time. There was a certain quality of the way her arms had encircled him that the previous times had not had. Without warning, Katara pulled him close again and places a small kiss atop his head.

"Ewww...Katara! Can't you and your boyfriend do that _later_? You two kissing wasn't on my list of 'Things I'd Like to See the Second I Wake Up' list." Katara and Aang leapt apart as Sokka's sleepy voice quite nicely interrupted them.

"Ehm...well, we should get going anyways." Katara mumbled, going quite red and pointedly looking anywhere except at Aang, who seemed to still be rather confused about the entire affair, and was looking confusedly back and forth from Sokka and Katara. With a shrug, he grabbed his staff, gave Katara a final pat on the shoulder and made for the door.

"Now, lets go have breakfast! I wonder if there will be any more custard tarts.." he trailed off as he went off ahead of the two siblings. Sokka and Katara turned to look at each other for a moment before simultaneously offering up a prayer for the cook, hoping he'd thought to make more tarts and heading after Aang.

•••

"So what was your plan, Aang?" Sokka asked through a mouthful of fish. "You were so excited about it last night, now I'm ready to hear it!" He took a sip of water and looked avidly at the airbender, waiting for him to explain his idea.

Aang quickly finished up the rest of his tart and smiled, wiping his face off before settling back to talk. "Well, I was thinking that maybe we could use Zuko as a-"

"Avatar! We have important news!" Two earthbenders burst into the room, causing Katara to leap almost all the way out of her chair and Sokka to choke violently on his drink. "We've intercepted a message from Fire Lord Ozai to the troop stationed near here. It looks like something big is going to happen." The first soldier said breathlessly, holding up the scroll. Katara reached up and took it from him with a nod of thanks.

Aang sighed to himself sadly. "Haa...interrupted again...I'll never get to tell them my idea!" Meanwhile Katara's eyes were scanning the page, growing wider and wider with each line she read.

"What is it Katara? What's the plan?" Sokka asked, trying to peek over her shoulder.

"This is bad you guys. According to this, Ozai has found a weakness in the walls of Bai Sing Sei. He's giving the order to attack...in just a week! He's giving the firebenders permission to destroy the entire city! No prisoners! But...if he does that..." Her eyes widened in horror at the implications. Her dream! If this order got through, her dream would come true! The scroll clattered onto the ground as she clapped her hands to her mouth to keep from crying out.

Sokka and Aang leapt up, Sokka snatching up the scroll, glaring at it as he read it, as if he blamed it for frightening his sister. Aang was trying to calm Katara, pulling her hands from her face and asking her, "Katara, what will happen if he does that? You said that like something other than us loosing the war would happen."

"Yeah, what else do you think could happen?" Sokka had rolled the scroll back up and tossed it onto the table. He strode over to his friends, placing a comforting hand on his sister's shoulder. "Did you learn something while you were with Zuko? Did he mention any plans they might have other than destroying Bai Sing Sei?"

Katara shook her head and looked up with wide sad eyes. "No. I don't think he has any idea that his father is doing this. I think that, as far as he knows, he is sure the war won't get anywhere until Aang is captured." Aang and Sokka looked questioningly at each other. How could the prince of the Fire Nation have no idea what his father was planning to do? Their attention was drawn back to Katara as she took a deep steadying breath and continued, barely speaking above a whisper. "But...he's wrong. If Ozai manages to do this...he won't need Aang anymore...and he won't need Zuko anymore either. If Ozai wins Bai Sing Sei...he'll kill Zuko."

•End Flashback•

"So what you're saying is...My father never intended to let me go home." Zuko stared at his hands resting in his lap. His eyes narrowed in anger and he clenched his hands into fists so tightly that tiny cuts appeared when his nails had cut into his palms. "All this time...he never expected me to find that Avatar. Even if I did, to him that was just a bonus..." Zuko fought back tears. He couldn't let these people see him like this. But all this time, he had secretly harbored hopes that somewhere, somehow his father had wanted him to go home. Now those hopes were gone. Worse, his new dreams of one day maybe being reunited with Ajuna, perhaps as a friend if she wouldn't have him as her fiancée anymore, went along with them. Filled with anguish, he dropped his face into his hands, clenching his teeth to block the sobs though he couldn't stop himself from shaking with rage and sorrow.

A hand gently slid to rest on his shoulder, a small comfort that helped his sobs subside. When he looked up tears still shimmered in his eyes, though he was obviously fighting hard to conceal them. To his surprise, the comforting hand wasn't his uncle's. It belonged to the waterbender girl, Katara. More surprising, he didn't see pity in her eyes, rather they shone with quiet understanding. She nodded solemnly and smiled, trying to cheer him up. Zuko managed to nod his thanks, though he didn't smile back, and sighed, dropping his hands back into his lap. "So...what do I...we...do now?" He looked askance at Katara.

"I...don't know. I don't know if there's anything we can do that will surely stop this. But...we can try. Aang and Sokka agreed to help, and I'm sure we can convince the Earth Kingdom that you are in just as much peril from the Fire Lord as they are. We'll work something out...We'll find a way to stop Ozai...I hope." Katara smiled again, this time getting a small smile back from her new-found ally.

Reaching up to wipe his eyes clear, Zuko sighed, "We only have a week though...maybe a day or two more if my father...no, the Fire Lord, I won't call him father anymore...only sent the one message that you intercepted. If we're to have any chance at all, something had better turn up soon-" At that moment, a red-fletched arrow crashed through the window of the room, lodging firmly in the wood of the table just inches away from one of Zuko's hands. Tied to it was a note. Zuko cautiously reached out to free it but froze, eyes wide as his hand brushed against it. Holding it to the arrow was a thin silver ribbon. His breath coming in short sharp burst, he forced himself to move again and untie the note, carefully tucking the ribbon into his pocket.

"Well? What does it say Prince Zuko?" Uncle Iroh asked after a moment, mentally connecting the ribbon with Zuko's thoughts. "Is it...?" Katara looked on in confusion. Obviously the ribbon meant something to the two firebenders, but to her it was a complete mystery as to why such a usual object would have such a profound effect on Zuko.

"I think...we might be able to do this after all." Zuko looked up from the note, his eyes alight with renewed hope. "This note is from that other Fire Nation ship that was nearby when you captured us. They say they've managed to gain some information that sounds like it might be similar to ours. According to this, whoever is on that ship doesn't like the idea of Bai Sing Sei being destroyed either. They say they're willing to assist us if they can."

Katara looked ponderous for a moment. "But why would the Earth Kingdom's destruction matter to them? Who are they that they have more to gain by stopping their own Fire Lord than going ahead with the war?"

Zuko shook his head, looking up from the letter again and looking around at the others in the room. "I don't know...but we don't have the time or the options to really worry about that now. The note says to meet at the docks you brought our ship into at midnight tonight, and to bring the leader of this fort. We're supposed to go too." He motioned to himself and Iroh. "I say we go. If these people are willing to work with us, I think I might know a way we can stop the war after all.

* * *

Gahh! Done! Geeze, I am soooooo sorry that took so long! I got so caught up with work and anime over the summer I just didn't have the time or energy to get anything done with this. But now I'm back! So be prepared! Who is this mysterious person who Zuko will meet at midnight ((Okay, I know you know, but play along!))? What will they do to convince the Earth Kingdom to help them? Will they stop Ozai in time? Has anyone seen the elusive wild pear? Why do I expect you to care about these questions? These answers ((or not)) next time in CHAPTER 9! Which I haven't named yet! Until then, happy banana hunting! 


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